We Are the Champions: Thailand – 2014 Thai Premier League – Buriram United FC

THE CLUB

The club was founded in the city of Ayutthaya as Provincial Electricity Authority FC  in 1970, and had played in lower divisions until 1998, when they won the third tier, and were promoted to the upper level, the Thai Division 1 League. However, at the end of 2003/04 Season they were promoted to Thai Premier League, the higest football division in the Country: after few years of break-in, they won the Title in 2008 and have become one of the leading clubs in the Country.
In December 2009 the politician Newin Chidchob purchased the Club and moved it to Buriram, in the East of the Country, where he was based: he also changed its name first to Buriram PEA FC, and then to Buriram United FC in 2012.
This club, whose social colours are blue and white, has won so far 4 Thai Premier League (2008, 2011, 2013 and 2014), 3 Thai FA Cup (2011, 2012 and 2013), 3 Thai League Cup (2011, 2012 and 2013) and 2 Kor Royal Cup (the Thai SuperCup, 2013 and 2014), winning all these Competitions together in 2013.

THE STADIUM

New I-Mobile Stadium

This venue can hold 32.600 spectators, all seated, but just a part of them coverd, It was opened in 2011 and expaneded in 2013 (the construction cost has been about $12M-17M) and it is probably the most modern stadium in Thailand.
It’s often nicknamed ”Thunder Castle“, the fifth castle of Buriram Province.

AFC COMPETITIONS

Buriram United FC, PEA FC at that time, played in continental competitions for the first time in 2009, when they were eliminated in the AFC Champions League Qualifying play-off, and thus were “relegated” to AFC Cup Grup Stage, but they didn’t manage to go trough.
Then BUFC played the AFC Champions League Group Stage three times, reaching the Quarter-finals in 2013, the best international performance in the history of this club.

2014 SEASON

Buriram United FC was one of the favourites to win 2014 Thai Premier League, but they didn’t start the Season very well, and they had to sack the Spanish manager Alejandro Menéndez, who had conquered Thai Premier League, Thai FA Cup, and Thai League Cup in 2013 and Kor Royal Cup at the beginning of 2014, after winning just two matches of eight and being just 12th in the table.
The Spaniard was replaced by an interim manager, the Serbian Božidar Bandović, who improved the results of the team, winning 6 of 9 matches, and lifted the team to fourth place, before being replaced by the Brazilian Alexandre Gama, who continued the good job of the Serbian caretaker and led the team to Title, reaching the top of the table on MD25, and keeping it until the end: anyway BUFC had a negative period in the final part of the season, collecting just 1 win and two draws from MD32 to MD36, slipping to second place for a couple of weeks, but finally they regained the lead on the second last game of the Season.
The key period of the year probably was a 8-match-winning streak, that included the last 4 matches under Bandović’s management and the first 4 under Alexandre Gama.
It must be said that Muangthong United FC, one of the main candidates to win the title, suffered a nine-points deduction because of fans’ troubles.
In February Buriram United FC won the Kor Royal Cup, the Thai Supercup, defeating 1-0 Muangthong United FC, while later in the Season they were eliminated by Bangkok Glass FC (after penalty kicks) in the Round of 16 of 2014 Thai FA Cup, and by BEC Tero Sasana F.C. in the Final of 2014 Thai League Cup, because of a goal conceded in the added time.
BUFC also contested in 2014 AFC Champions League Group Stage, but, after drawing the first match against Shandong Luneng Taishan (China), the Thai club suffered two defeats against Pohang Steelers and Cerezo Osaka, that compromised its path: collecting 5 points from the final three games wasn’t enough to qualify for Round of 16 indeed.

THE MANAGER

Alexandre Gama

He’s a 46-year-old Brazilian, who had managed few small clubs in his Country, such as Macaé, Volta Redonda and Madureira, but also Fluminense (2004) and SC Internacional (2005).
He has been in charge at Buriram United since June 2014, when he replaced the Serbian Božidar Bandović, who had replaced in April the Spanish Alejandro Menéndez: anyway this isn’t the first Asian experience for Alexandre Gama, because he had already managed also Al-Wahda (EAU), Gyeongnam (South Korea) and had been the assistant manager of South Korean NT.
2014 Thai Premier League is the first major trophy he has lifted so far.

THE PLAYERS

GOALKEEPERS

Sivaruck Tedsungnoen, 31
Yosapol Tiangda

DEFENDERS

Tanasak Srisai, 25
Theeraton Bunmathan, 24
Suree Sukha, 32
Narubodin Weerawatnodom, 20
Pratum Chuthong, 31
Chitipat Tanklang, 23
Andrés Túñez, 27 (VEM)
David Rochela, 24 (SPA)
Nitipong Selanon, 21

MIDFIELDERS

Surat Sukha, 32
Jakkraphan Kaewprom, 26
Suchao Nuchnum, 31 (C)
Anawin Jujeen, 27
Kim Hyeung-bum, 30 (SKO)
Chaowat Weerachart
Nattawut Sombatyotha
Anon Amornlerdsak

FORWARDS

Adisak Kraisorn, 23
Javier Patiño, 26
Carmelo González, 31 (SPA)

The most famous players outside Thailand are the Venezuelan International Andrés Túñez (a former Celta Vigo and Beitar Jerusalem centre back), the Spaniards David Rochela (a former Deportivo La Coruña, Racing Santander and Hapoel Tel Aviv defender) and Carmelo González (a former UD Las Palmas, Hércules, UD Levante, CD Numacia and Sporting de Gijón striker) and the Filipino International Javier Patiño (a former Cordoba CF striker who was born in Spain from a Spanish father and a Filipino mother).
As you can see, the main foreign players, who should be among the best elements of the team, have played few games in La Liga, but have spent the majority of their career in Segunda Division, the Spanish second tier: that should give you an idea of the level of Thai Premier League.
Obviously in Buriram United FC‘s squad there are several Thai Internationals, such as the GK Sivaruck Tedsungnoen, the centre back Tanasak Srisai, the full-backs Suree Sukha (he was signed by Manchester City in 2008, when the English club had a Thai owner, and then was loaned to Grasshoppers Zurich, but he failed to play any game both in England and in Switzerland), Theeraton Bunmathan and Narubodin Weerawatnodom, and the midfielders Jakkraphan Kaewprom, Anawin Jujeen, Suchao Nuchnum (Captain) and Surat Sukha (Suree’s twin brother, he has also played for Melbourne Victory FC in Australian A-League).
The top scorer of the team has been Javier Patiño with 21 goals in 2014 Thai Premier League, followed by Carmelo González.
Carmelo González and Adisak Kraisorn are surely leaving after this Season: the Brazilian Rafael Coelho (striker) the New Zealandese/Japanese Kayne Vincent (striker) and the South Korean Go Seul-ki (midfielder) have already been signed for the next year.

TYPICAL LINEUP

4-2-3-1
Tedsungnoen – Suree Sukha (Srisai), Túñez (Chuthong), Rochela, Bunmathan – Surat Sukha, Kaewprom – Jujeen, Carmelo González, Nuchnum (C) – Patiño.

A Thai club can have no more than 7 foreign players on its squad, but only five of them can be on the game sheet in each game, and no more than four can be on the field at the same time, including at least one from an AFC country.

THE FANS

Buriram United FC has the best home average attendance in the League, with 21,410 spectators per game, and it almost doubles the second best club (Suphanburi, 12.025). The main organized supporters’ Group is the GU 12, that can’t probably be considered a proper ultras Group, because, as you can see in the video below, it includes several middle-aged Ladies and children.