Boost for Thai soccer as youngsters head to Europe	Inside Story Archives
By ..Wanchai Rujawongsanti  , Bangkok Post April 24, 2002 Edition
The news that Pongpisuth ``Tangmo'' Pue-on is joining English Premiership side Middlesbrough on a scholarship contract is a boost for his father, former national team striker Piyapong, and also for Thai soccer in general. The 16-year-old becomes the second Thai player to join an English club, following Teerathep ``Leesaw'' Winothai, 17, who is a trainee at Division One side Crystal Palace. In Germany, Datsakorn Thonglao is reportedly doing well with Bundesliga club Kaiserslautern where he is on trial. According to Worawi Makudi, secretary-general of the Football Association of Thailand, Middlesbrough are willing to let a further five to 10 Thai youngsters train with them on condition that the Thai FA provides some financial support. Worawi, who has a good relationship with both the English and German football associations, says that German clubs, in particular Kaiserslautern, are looking for young Thai talent to take part in trials. Another Thai player, Anucha Kitpongsri, is set to go to train with Kaiserslautern soon. A number of Thai youngsters will get a chance to train with English clubs in the near future as Manchester United, Leeds United and Liverpool are in the process of selecting young players to train with them on a short-term basis. The Leeds, Man United and Liverpool projects are backed financially by LG electric goods, Pepsi and Coca-Cola respectively. This shows that the schemes are more or less public relations campaigns. However, they could be beneficial for the selected ones and Thai soccer. If any youngster catches the eye of the teams' bosses while in England, they could get a contract and become a professional player. European teams have been looking to Asia following the success in Europe of Asian players such as Japan's Hidetoshi Nakata and Iranian Ali Daei. Asian players are cheap and could be a wise investment for European clubs as they would cost much less than an untested European player whose price tag could be millions of dollars. If an Asian player makes the grade, the European side who signed him would be able to recoup their investment easily and quickly. Italy's Roma did well out of Nakata, whom they signed from Perugia for a considerable transfer fee. Nakata, whose form has slumped since he joined another Italian club Parma in the summer, helped lure Japanese fans to watch Roma in action and the team sold loads of shirts bearing his name in Japan. Parma also reportedly made millions of dollars from selling their yellow-and-blue shirts with Nakata's name, although they have gained little from him on the pitch. If an Asian player fails to live up to expectations, the European team that signed him would risk losing nothing or only a relatively small amount of investment. With Asia arguably the biggest commercial market for European teams apart from their own country, it can only be beneficial for Asian players to show their skills whenever a chance comes. For Thais who receive a contract or an invitation to train with a European side, it is the chance of a lifetime _ not only for themselves but also for their compatriots. If some go on to make a name for themselves in Europe, more scouts and agents will surely come to Thailand to search for potential talent. Hopefully, Thai players could become one of the country's main exports to Europe, not just to Singapore or Vietnam. The more Thai players who join European teams, the better the chance that one day Thailand will qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time. At the moment, the brightest young Thai prospect is undoubtedly rising star Teerathep. But first he has to work hard and stop thinking about a career in the entertainment world.