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Published on March 26, 2008

Over the past few days, back in Manchester, he has made us feel that football has become his true passion. Listening to him carefully, we sense that, as far as the club he owns is concerned, Thaksin is not only a human, but also a wise spender.

He says he loves Manchester City Football Club, that he wants to be with it forever. "I like to be at the heart of the club," he told the British media. "I may divest some shares in other activities but not the football club. I will keep it private so I can hold it for life."

That's as much as any football club owner can promise, which may have made many people miss a more important message. A couple of days earlier, Thaksin stressed the need to use the club's budget - his money - smartly. City coach Sven Goran Eriksson was told to forget about a spending spree this summer - a reasonable instruction, as the club had already spent about Bt3.6 billion on new players since Thaksin took over.

We have witnessed rational populism, demonstrated in the only realm on earth where people are more fickle than in politics, and where promises and good excuses are needed on a daily basis.

Running a football club is like running a country, with impassioned fans the equivalent of unpredictable voters. It tells us something when Thaksin, while declaring his unconditional love for Manchester City Football Club, refrains from devil-may-care financial schemes to please the supporters.

No promises of big-name signings. No plans to lower ticket prices or upgrade the stadium. He did vow a marketing drive in Asia, but this is the least of the British fan's concerns. The most ambitious and outrageous when it comes to political pledges, Thaksin has learned to be humble and somewhat realistic about the club's future.

This year's aim is a top-10 finish, and next year's will be to qualify for the Uefa Cup, the lesser of the two prestigious European tournaments. Only the year after next will the club set its sights on the ultimate prize - Uefa Champions League qualification.   

This makes a good case study. Why has Thaksin, of all people, suddenly become a prudent populist? The answer may lie in two things. First and foremost, it's his own money. Second, the "measures" for success are more clear cut than in politics, and there is no place to hide your failures.

Politically, when all else fails, you still can reduce taxes, pump more (taxpayer) money into health care and hope to ride out the storm. In football, no grand scheme can arrest a popularity slide - not only because the league table says it all, but also because spending big with your own money at a bad time can easily turn a failure into a catastrophe.

In politics, buying enough votes in elections guarantees power. In football, there's no such thing as buying a trophy. Yes, you have heard about big clubs, small clubs, or about how that Russian billionaire turned Chelsea into a major force, but the truth is that good soccer players today far outnumber bad politicians ready to sell their souls. In other words, you can buy up all the politicians and win political power, but football results are not decided by parliamentary votes or cash handouts.

Make no mistake. Football fans love rich owners who are willing to splash the cash. This is why the Thaksin-Manchester City bond looks very interesting. It's a marriage between one who knows best how to spend a budget, and virtual "voters" who can never get enough.

There remains the honeymoon period. "Thaksin, Thaksin give us a wave," chanted the crowd at Manchester City last week. With the incentives for continuing to play politics lessening with the sale of Shin Corp, Thaksin may have found a new passion in something he had apparently intended as a hobby in exile.

There is no doubt Manchester City means more to him today than it did when he bought it. "Watching them play is not good for my heart muscles," he told ESPN recently.

You have to be either a die-hard fan, or someone with so much at stake in the club, to feel that way. Thaksin is seemingly both.

Maybe Manchester City Football Club is a good school for him, after all. Running a soccer business is an ideal way for a politician to learn how to mix populism with true vision, ambition with pragmatism, and cut-throat policies with sincerity.

tulsathit@nationgroup.com

Tulsathit Taptim

The Nation