It was a typical response from South-East Asia’s most powerful football figure, Worawi Makudi.
Rather than explain just how it could come to be that title deed documents actually show his name owning, as late as June 10 this year, a mortgage on land on which sits the National Football Training Centre in Bangkok, a property that has been partly built with FIFA grants, he’s threatening to sue.
Worawi threatened to sue Lord Triesman, who claimed the Thailand Football Association boss wanted broadcasting rights to a planned Thailand versus England friendly in exchange for favourable reception of the England 2018 bid.
He threatened to sue the editors of sports daily Hot Score, who claimed he resold for profit FIFA tickets provided for free. He’s now threatening to sue the people responsible for distributing those title deed documents to the “western” press, which included me.
I’ve seen them. And they’re compelling. At the very least they demand an explanation from Worawi. Nothing on them suggests the land has been transferred to the Thai FA (which wouldn’t mean much anyway, as he’s been in power so long its effectively he and his mates’ cabana).
But instead of doing just that, his first reaction is to engage a law firm and dispatch the hounds.
It won’t wash. Asian football fans, players and coaches are sick and tired of the lack of plain speak from football officials and their lack of accountability.
It’s time for straight answers from Worawi. Starting with the title deed documents.
Then moving on to his ownership of shares in the Thai Premier League, which former Asian Football Confederation general secretary Peter Velappan told international affairs expert James M. Dorsey on his blog, The Turbulent World Of Middle East Soccer, struck him as “a conflict of interest”.
Then on to why he was in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, in May with suspended AFC president Mohamed Bin Hammam at that much disputed Caribbean Football Union meeting when he told the local media he was going to be in Qatar.
Then on to how he can justify beyond his own self-interest and political survival the sacking of Thai futsal committee chairman Adisak Benjasiriwan, the man credited with bringing the FIFA Futsal World Cup to South-East Asia in 2012 and who dared back Virach Charnpanich in his failed candidacy for the post of Thai FA president.
And lastly on to those tickets, one of which had Worawi’s name printed on it, the other with the name of the company holding the World Cup broadcasting rights for Thailand, that allegedly came into the possession of a Thai couple and which form the basis of the claims made by Hot Score.
Even Bangkok’s The Nation newspaper has weighed in this week, insisting “for his sake and that of all fans, he must provide the true facts” and that his performance at a press conference was “more of a threat to those who spread the allegation to the western press, rather than trying to explain to the public exactly what happened”.
Thai newspapers habitually go soft when it comes to allegations of impropriety in the country’s football governance. But no more.
Lay it on the table, Worawi. Not more writs.
This column was originally published by ESPN STAR Sports. Please check for new columns by me every Thursday at www.espnstar.com. Love to see you there.