Thai future may rest with Effenberg

Thai future may rest with Effenberg

BANGKOK : Former German midfield stalwart Stefan Effenberg has targeted 2010 as a breakout year for football in Asia and in particular Thailand, saying he has just the ticket to help them get to the World Cup finals in six years time.

The 35-year-old veteran knows what it takes to reach the pinnacle of sport -- he has played in the World Cup and brought home German and Champions League silverware -- and is launching a football academy in the kingdom that aims to raise Thailand's level of competition.

Effenberg's US$3 million Asia's First Football Academy (AFA 999) is expected to be operational by 2005, in the northern province of Chiang Rai. It has slots for 250 young Thais who, if they prove talented enough, may train with and eventually play for a German Bundesliga side.

The achievement would be monumental. Despite being Southeast Asia's football powerhouse over the past decade, Thailand's national squad lies in virtual tatters.

"The football school is the most important thing for me and not (the politics) surrounding the sport," Effenberg said.

Critics have contended that it will take decades before Asian football is on a par with European powerhouses such as France, England and Spain, but Effenberg is more optimistic. -- AFP