BANGKOK — Surawut Maharom was looking stressed. His job seemed simple when he first arrived: to oversee an election on Thursday to choose a new president of the Football Association of Thailand.
But nothing is simple when it comes to soccer in Thailand.
“This is a civil war. It’s the most difficult case that I’ve dealt with,” Surawut said.
FIFA, the governing body for global soccer, dismissed the executive committee of the Thai soccer association in October after its president, Worawi Makudi, was suspended pending an ethics investigation. FIFA called on Surawut, a respected administrator in Thai sports, to lead a normalization committee that would temporarily take charge and oversee the election of a new leader.