Prachya, whose main job is as a sport journalist, has been spending a lot of his time watching football matches on television. He usually enjoys checking if any players are cheating, making fouls or are offside. However, his habit has become a nuisance to his friends, who are usually cheering for their favourite players. But Prachya thinks what he's doing is just a part of being a linesman, so he doesn't care what his friends say. If Thailand's only assistant referee at this year's World Cup doesn't stop keeping an eye on all the players when watching football on television with his friends, he will soon find himself watching the matches alone. - The Nation.

Yaowapa gives diet the chop

People in the audience at last week's Siam Sport newspaper's awards night were wondering why taekwondo star Yaowapa Boorapolchai was really enjoying eating her dessert - she is on a diet. Yaowapa, who is known to her friends as "Nong View", also looked plump and very different from when she was competing in the recent Asian Championships. One reporter asked her to stop eating as he was getting nervous about her weight, but she refused to stop and told the reporter that she had gained at least three kilos.

"I don't want to say that my weight has increased from 47kg to 50kg, but dying because of eating is better than starving to death," she claimed. However, the reporter is still wondering why Nong View does not worry about her weight. Perhaps she is still overwhelmed at winning her first gold medal at the recent Asian Championships, or maybe disappointed not to be recruited for last week's World University Championships in Spain. - The Nation.

Long day for Napaporn

Less than 12 hours after winning a doubles title in a challenger event in Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday, Thai tennis player Napaporn Tongsalee could not have imagined the hectic schedule that was ahead of her in Bangkok. After touching down in the capital on Sunday night, she had only a few hours sleep before dragging herself out of bed the next morning to apply for a visa for a trip to China. She had to get her visa that day as she had to catch a plane to Beijing that night to be in time for her next tournament.

Sleepy, tired but determined to get things done before her flight, she found herself stuck in a long line of visa applicants who all seemed to turn up at China's embassy on the same day. She couldn't remember a busier day. "What a day! I'm so tired, but I really have to go to China to play. I will ask to play the last match of the day. By the time I arrive there, I hope I'll have enough time left for my match." - The Nation.

Sri Lankan runner stuns crowd

Shortly after crossing the finish line in second place in the women's 200-metres at the recent Asian Grand Prix at the Supachalasai National Stadium in Bangkok, Sri Lankan runner Susanthika Jayasinghe stopped the show with a bizarre display. The Asian Games 100m gold medallist, who was a bit upset after her stunning loss to a runner from Uzbekistan, lay down on the synthetic track, lifted her legs in the air and started to take off her track suit pants.

Everyone in the audience, especially the male spectators, could not take their eyes off her. It was hard to tell if she was going to next take off her underpants. She suddenly stopped taking off her clothes and instead started to unwrap a bandage on her hamstring.

"Don't look at me in a strange way," a smiling Jayasinghe said to a Thai reporter. "I just want to take the bandage off. It's not a serious injury. I just felt very tight at my hamstring which made me uneasy about my running. I then decided to wrap the hamstring with a bandage." - The Nation.

Controversy hits women's team

A controversy between Thailand's women football team and their coaches finally came to an end on Monday after a closed-door meeting which lasted four long hours. Following local media reports concerning sexual affairs, alcohol being consumed at the team's training camp and rumours of allowances being embezzled, after the long meeting team manager Narumon Siriwat said it was all a misunderstanding.

One coach admitted he usually drank beer while he was in the training camp but not when he was working, while another coach said he had a close relationship with a good-looking player, but not a sexual relationship. Whether all the controversial topics have now been cleared up, no one knows - only the players and coaches. But the public will still believe in the old saying that where there's smoke, there's fire. - The Nation.