Thai premier tees off soccer swoop

TYCOON turned politician Thaksin Shinawatra, who has hinted that he could buy Fulham Football Club, is more familiar with a seven iron than the Cottagers' team tactics - but he certainly knows how to generate waves of media interest.

Since the combative 54-year-old billionaire became Thailand's prime minister in early 2001 he has revived the country's battered economy, waged war against the narcotics trade, and refined the populist touch that brought him to power.

But has not until now shown much enthusiasm for Premiership football.

The teaser on Wednesday that he may lead an investors' consortium to make a swoop on the club now in the hands of Harrods' owner Mohamed Fayed is typical of a swashbuckling, headline-grabbing style.

Thaksin made his millions in broadcasting and telecoms via his group Shin Corporation and mobile phones firm Advanced Info Service, drawing comparisons between him and Italy's prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.

His message was that if Russians can make it big in West London by throwing their wallets around, Asians can certainly try to match them.

And there is little doubt Thaksin, who started his career as a police officer after studying in the US, could afford Fulham - if Fayed is in the mood to sell.

The Thaksin's family's net worth was estimated by US magazine Forbes last year at $1bn (£589m) while a more recent figure by Business Week reckons he is worth twice that.

That wealth has already been the focus of intense interest. Thaksin and his wife parried charges in 2001 that they had concealed millions of dollars in assets when making compulsory parliamentary declarations of their worth - by transferring assets to their domestic servants.

After a lengthy trial, both were acquitted by the narrowest of margins, removing a threat to Thaksin's budding political career.

Thaksin said then in a closing statement: 'The errors can be attributed to oversight - not the intention to hide my wealth...it was never my intention to conceal my wealth.' The 15 judges on the panel bought the story eight to seven.

Ever the populist, Thaksin did identify with mass excitement generated by the last World Cup in South Korea.

Declaring that the Thai national team - coached by former Aston Villa striker Peter Withe - should make the next set of finals, he promised 100m baht of State cash to boost their slim chances of appearing in Germany.

Despite that, there are scant signs that Thaksin himself is much of a fan of the beautiful game.

The man whose favourite motto came from his police cadet school - better to die than to live like a loser - is far fonder of a gentle round of golf.

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