THAILAND’S FOOTBALL FACTORY

 

Eng script

 

 

00:00:21,162 - 00:00:32,080

In the morning,

 

I warm up and run for 30 minutes. Then I practice my ball skills, I'm pretty good at kick-ups.

 

00:00:32,120 - 00:00:45,080

I do that for another 30 minutes. Then I finish with an ab workout, a lot of stretches and jumps. Then I warm down.

 

00:00:48,720 - 00:01:02,440

 

You've got to work hard to get anything in life. I left my family behind in Dakar, Senegal.

 

Some are still in the village - they have nothing.

 

I am the only one who has left - the others are all behind me.

 

00:01:08,280 - 00:01:35,040

 

My name is Tassirou Barry. I came all the way to Bangkok to become a professional footballer. I'm on a mission here in Thailand.

 

I'm here to make my dreams come true.

 

I want to be a professional like the others, I want to play for a major club.

 

It's easier to start out here,they're not so focused on tactics here compared to Europe.

 

I'm going to try and take my first steps here.

 

00.01.45

 

Tassirou first arrived in Bangkok one month ago. Here he shares a room with fellow amateur footballers.

 

00:01:55,280 - 00:02:15,240

 

These two bags are all I came here with.

 

Some African clothes and a few football shirts.

 

I spent about a year getting ready for this journey.

 

My family was broke, but we managed to get some money together.

 

I borrowed some money from friends to pay for the ticket because it was so expensive.

 

 

00:02:16,080 - 00:02:30,440

 

When I make it to the big leagues, I'll be able to pay back the people who lent me money.

 

That's the dream...

It's on my mind a lot, maybe too much - it's not easy.

 

00.02.32.00

 

Tassirou took out a 1500 Euro loan for this trip, and entered the country on a tourist visa.

 

He has two months left to get signed by a club.

 

00.02.49.00

 

Tassirou is one of several hundred foreign amateurs trying their luck in Thailand.

 

The country is on the cusp of becoming a major footballing nation.

 

00.02.59.08

 

In ten years, it has created a home-grown footballing enterprise, comprising of four professional divisions supported by around one hundred clubs, where salaries can be as high as 10,000 Euros per month.

 

00.03.18.04

 

The youth has turned from boxing to embrace the beautiful game.

 

But for every inspiring success story, there are plenty left behind.

 

00.03.34.01

 

Just north of the capital, one team is fighting for survival - The Look E san

 

The look E san – or Isan’s children –named in tribute to the country’s poorest region.

 

00.03.54.05

 

After being relegated to the 4th division, the team is now trained by a foreign coach: Ousman Cherif.

 

 

00:04:01,520 - 00:04:06,200

Ton! Lep!

 

Come and give me a hand with this gear.

 

00.04.08.03

 

His spoken Thai is perfect, albeit with a Guinean accent.

 

Cherif is an ex-professional himself, now turned Asian football pioneer.

 

00:04:18,480 - 00:04:41,040

 

I've played in Dubai, then in Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and then in India, in Bangladesh, before becoming a coach here in Thailand.

 

I feel a lot of pressure, I must admit.

 

Because they all think I'm being paid as much as Jose Mourinho, but in reality I'm a long way off.

 

I earn fame rather than money.

 

00.04.43.19

 

Earning 650 euros a month puts Cherif a long way behind Manchester United’s manager.

 

But he does lay claim to the title of Thailand’s first professional coach of African descent.

 

 

00:04:59,000 - 00:05:33,240

 

In the past, Thailand's national sport was Muay Thai, but nowadays...

 

I think that the Thai's have a great passion for football even though they're new to it.

 

Even I can't explain what their motivations are.

 

I guess there are enough rich Thais who have bought shares in big clubs.

 

Like AC Milan, and in England, there's Leicester and all that.

 

So here in Thailand it is also doing well.

 

00:05:33,640 - 00:05:37,120

Alright guys, we're going to try a 4-5-1.

 

 

00.05.41.06

 

The Look-Esan have the smallest budget in the 4th Division; around 130,000 euros.

 

This pays the salaries of 25 players, a mix of Thai and international talent, as well as the coach and his staff.

 

 

00:05:50,960 - 00:06:11,680

 

I really want to prove to him that he made the right choice in trusting an African, because last year, when he made me team coach, the members of the Thai Football Federation called him up and told him he was mad.

 

Like, how could he give his team over to a black African?

 

00:06:12,800 – 00:06:19,400

 

They actually asked him that.

 

He said that it didn't concern him, that he trusted me.

 

He knows I'm capable.

 

00:06:26,480 - 00:06:27,760

Go on Ton! Shoot!

 

00.06.29.15

 

Two retirees watch on from the side of the pitch.

 

00:06:33,040 - 00:06:34,080

You've got to aim!

 

00.06.35.22

 

They come and watch every training session.

 

 

00:06:40,160 - 00:06:42,040

Play like you did yesterday!

 

00:06:42,480 - 00:06:49,200

 

My nickname is Bun Mee.

 

I'm 67 years old.

 

I'm originally from Isan.

 

00:06:52,280 - 00:07:10,440

 

I like to come and watch them play.

 

They are my team.

 

For the people of Isan, my people,

 

I want the players to work hard, to aspire to greatness,

 

and for them to become celebrities.

 

00.07.15.02

 

Currently holding 5th place in the championship, the team could still win promotion to the next division.

 

00:07:21,200 - 00:07:22,840

Come and eat! It's on me!

 

00.07.23.00

 

Pee Ti, the team steward, prepares a meal for the end of each training session.

 

 

00:07:29,600 - 00:07:32,320

It's a papaya salad, an Isan speciality.

 

00.07.33.15

 

It’s a welcome recreational break for the team.

 

00:07:41,080 - 00:07:54,160

 

In Thailand, food is especially important.

 

It's very good.

 

Adam, this is really spicy, could you get me some water?

 

Hey you! You sure you've had enough?

 

00:07:56,920 - 00:08:18,400

 

At first, I struggled a fair amount.

 

I didn't speak the language, and I wasn't used to the food.

 

It's very different to what we eat back in Africa.

 

That wasn't easy, but hey...

 

You have to acclimatize to your environment.

 

In the beginning my stomach couldn't handle it.

 

But after a while I got used to it and now I love it.

 

00.08.28.03

 

Thailand has emerged as South East Asia’s second biggest economic power, and its business class have ploughed investment into football.

 

The national league is already listed at 60 million euros on the stock exchange.

 

44 year old Khun Anucha Chaiyated [KUN-AY-OO-SHA-SHAI-AH-TED] is a successful market speculator, and has amassed considerable personal wealth.

 

00:08:52,000 – 00:09:07,080

 

This is the business transactions room

 

where we look after our clients and our shareholders.

 

All buying and selling of stocks comes through here.

 

The markets will open in five minutes.

 

00.09.09.23

 

Kun Anucha sits on the boards of several companies.

 

He has also found the time to invest in a football club, as the owner of the Look Esan.

 

00:09:19,880 - 00:10:10,200

 

In the past 10 years, football has really taken off here.

 

Politicians have started to shore up their voters thanks to these investments.

 

At the same time, entrepreneurs like me who love the sport have also invested, driven by our passion for football.

 

Ever since I was a little kid, I watched the English Premier League.

 

I always dreamed of owning my own team that would be modelled on the clubs in the Premier League.

 

I would love to build a championship that is as prestigious as that over here.

 

This was me six years ago when I first started building the team.

 

I was a bit slimmer back then.

 

But nowadays, I'm really worried about the club, so I've put on a bit of weight!

 

00.10.11.15

 

Since its relegation to the forth division, the Look Esan has lost all of its sponsors, leaving Kun Anucha to finance the club alone.

 

 

00:10:22,160 - 00:10:49,120

 

The team's budget is limited - we're trying to save money.

 

It might well be a small team, but expenses still come in at about 5 million bahts a year. [130,000 Euros]

 

The Thai Football Federation's subsidy is only worth 1 million bahts, that's half of what we got last year.

 

So I had to front the other 4 million - it wasn't easy.

 

00.10.50.11

 

Despite these financial issues, Khun Anucha still managed to find the money to buy some former stars of the first division; a Guinean striker, and a defender from Sierra Leone.

 

He also sends coach Cherif to scout for fresh talent in the stadiums of Bangkok.

 

 

00:11:14,800 - 00:11:23,520

 

My club doesn't have enough money to hire a full time scout so I have to go out myself.

 

I found many of our players like this.

 

00.11.27.14

 

Later that night, in Ramkhamaenf (RAM-KA-MANG), an amateur tournament is underway.

 

 

00:11:30,800 - 00:11:32,720

-Did you lock the car? -Yes.

 

00.11.37.21

 

Cherif and Pee Ti are on the lookout for a diamond in the rough. 

 

00:11:43,520 - 00:11:44,520

How's it going?

 

00.11.46.12

 

On display is a mixture of both thais and foreigner players.

 

00:11:52,880 - 00:11:54,880

-Salam Alikoum. -Malikoum Salam.

 

00.11.55.22

 

Players from the Ivory Coat, Cameroon, and Guinea are in abundance.

 

00:12:00,720 - 00:12:07,440

 

Did you forget about me or something?

 

No no, I've just come here to watch the game.

 

I'm going to train, you watching?

 

00.12.08.07

 

Coach Cherif is know to most of the African players here.

 

00:12:14,440 - 00:12:25,640

 

The majority aren't signed to a club,

 

in tournaments like this they can find clubs, scouts...

 

But being honest, some just aren't good enough.

 

00:12:27,360 - 00:12:39,760

 

Hey look...

 

That one in the red.

 

The number 39.

 

He's a good player.

 

I've seen him play before.

 

00.12.43.04

 

Competition amongst the African players is tough. Those in the terraces weren’t able to earn a place in the tournament, like Peter, a Kenyan in a dire situation.

 

Having arrived in Thailand on a tourist visa, he was exploited by his club managers.

 

00.13.01.11 – 00.13.23.17

 

A Thai coach had headhunted me, he asked me if I had a club, I didn’t have one, so he wanted to help me. He brought me to the amateur club, I played there for 5 months. But I wasn’t earning any money, I just had to show up, but I wasn’t supported at all. 

 

00.13.24.22

 

He’s run out of money, and his visa has expired, leaving him at the mercy of the coaches and immigration services.

 

00:13:32,840 - 00:14:11,320

 

Teams often do that to players who don't have visas.

 

They just don't get paid.

 

The players can't do anything about it.

 

If he threatens to leave, they threaten to call immigration.

 

If you don't have a visa, immigration services take you, and they can put you in prison indefinitely until they decide to deport you.

 

Because here they don't pay for your flight out.

 

They put you in prison and you sleep on the floor, like a sardines,

 

perhaps as many as 50 people in one cell!

 

And that's where you'll stay until your family can send the money to pay for your flight, otherwise you stay put for God knows how long...

 

00.14.13.05

 

The risks do not deter players who are looking to live their dream.

Cherif receives phonecalls from African hopefulls on a daily basis.

 

00:14:21,640 - 00:14:34,200

 

Loads of players from all sorts of countries get in contact to try and make it in Thailand, they message me on Facebook.

 

I have so many messages I can't read them all.

 

I can't help them all...

 

00.14.37.00

 

The doors of the Thai El Dorado are closing. Faced with a surge of candidates, the Thai Federation has cut down the quota of foreign players allowed into the leagues.

 

00.14.55.02

 

Cherif nonetheless allowed Tassirou to enter Thailand. He wrote a letter allowing him to pass through customs, but stopped short of offering him a contract.

 

00.15.06.15

 

Penniless, he relies on his faith to see him through the day.

 

00:15:11,520 - 00:15:28,280

 

I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid...

 

I'm afraid of nothing.

 

I read my Quran after training,

 

I recite some passages.

 

It will protect me, that's just how it is.

 

I pray for God to help us all, as human beings.

 

00:15:33,600 - 00:15:46,600

Oh merciful God, you helped me get this far, you are always by my side.

 

Help me get signed by a team, and let it be a good thing in my life.

 

00.15.50.06

 

A new resident has arrived in Tassirou’s dorm.

 

Jimmy is Ugandan, and has just moved down from the north of Thailand, where a club had tried to exploit him.

 

00.16.12.18 – 00.16.30.21

 

When I arrived there, they told me they were interested, they wanted to sign me. They presented a Thai contract, but I didn’t know what was inside.

 

When I asked my agent, he told me they were dishonest because they told me things that weren’t on the contract. He told me it was better for me to come back here, and to wait for new opportunities

 

00.16.33.18

 

Jimmy’s agent lives in Bangladesh. He brought him to Thailand after having seen videos of him playing on the internet.

 

Jimmy was Nairobi’s star striker.

 

00.16.53.02

 

At 19, he has yet to reach professional status in his home country.

 

This dorm, provided by the club, was all that Cherif could offer him. 

 

 

00:17:03,320 - 00:17:30,120

 

When I saw Tassirou,

 

I couldn't just tell him to go home, I know the realities of life in Africa, and what would happen if he went back.

 

With the sort of family he has...

 

How could he manage?

 

What I can do is give him a place to stay whilst he has some tryouts.

 

I don't want anything from him, I can't get anything from him, because there's nothing to take.

 

He's not yet ready.

 

It's a shame, really...

 

00.17.43.04

 

From his car, Kun Anucha spares a thought for his club’s supporters.

 

00:17:50,800 - 00:18:23,800

 

Look, it's for people like them that I struggle on.

 

Those people come from Isan.

 

They work in Bangkok and send money back to their families in the provinces.

 

They work very hard and live on the edge of poverty.

 

So in having a football team like mine that they can follow in the papers, It makes their hearts swell with pride.

 

They're proud to tell people that they're from Isan.

 

00.18.26.02

 

Married, and father to a son, he lives in a luxury house situated in a Bangkok suburb.

 

 

00:18:33,520 - 00:18:40,720

This is my house, but it also belongs to the Sons of Isan.

 

00.18.41.17

 

His is a rags-to-riches story, the only boy in a family of 5. His father, a rice farmer, passed away making him the man of the house at a young age.

 

00:18:57,240 - 00:19:16,983

 

The first time that I went to Bangkok,

 

I told my mother that I was going to university.

 

She asked me how I was going to manage, because we didn't have any money.

 

All I asked her for was the money to get to the capital.

 

I had to succeed to help my family.

 

00.19.18.24

 

From waiter, to toll booth operator, to gas station manager, Kun Anucha worked a number of jobs before making his fortune.

 

00.19.28.18

 

For 8 years, he has been investing at a loss in his football team., to the point where he had to sell some of his cars, as well as his second home.

 

00:19:38,830 - 00:20:04,280

 

Just because you achieve success, doesn't mean that you should wallow in luxury and forget your roots, and the people you grew up around.

 

We've had the club for eight years.

 

Sometimes we think about throwing in the towel, but there's always something that drives us to carry on.

 

Football has a unique charm about it.

 

00:20:07,080 -

I was hoping that someone would write an anthem for the team, but no one stepped up, so I picked up my guitar and wrote it myself, based on my own feelings.

 

Maybe one day it will be as famous as Liverpool's You'll Never Walk Alone.

 

 

00:20:38,040 - 00:21:29,520

 

In the land of Isan,

 

we will meet again

 

to build the dream together.

 

Let's draw on our strength and our hearts,

 

in spite of the obstacles,

 

we won't let ourselves down.

 

Let us hold hands, bind our hearts,

 

together we will write the legend of the migrants of Isan.

 

We will stand proud and tall,

 

to face the world,

 

we will fight.

 

We, the Sons of Isan.

 

00.21.33.00

 

Bangkok – match day.

 

The Look Esan have no room for error – they must win to get promoted.

 

00:21:41,148 - 00:21:43,765

It's four o'clock! Time to get ready guys!

 

00:21:48,360 - 00:21:57,600

 

We going to have to be solid in defence.

 

We're going to form a triangle in the midfield.

 

Adam, Gout and 'Iniesta'.

 

00:22:00,440 - 00:22:06,320

 

If we give 100%, we can win.

 

Otherwise it's not going to happen.

 

00.22.08.09

 

Their opposition – the dragons of BTU United, and their notorious Brazilian striker.

 

00.22.31.11

 

Pee Ti says her last few prayers before kick off.

 

00.22.42.01

 

The opposition’s supporters mount up the pressure from the terraces.

 

00.22.57.17

The Dragons push forwards, twice hitting the crossbar.

 

Cherif looks on anxiously.

 

00:23:07,360 - 00:23:11,812

Ton! Don't stay stuck there!

 

Press forward!

 

00.23.13.23

 

Come halftime, the look Esan have failed to create any chances.

 

The manager steps in to the changing room.

 

00:23:22,240 - 00:23:38,360

 

When you move on the right wing, anticipate what's coming.

 

Plan your movement, look for the striker.

 

Otherwise it'll miss every time.

 

That's what I'm doing.

 

If we close down the right wing, our winger will be able to play to the left...

 

00.23.38.05

 

Cherif looks to inspire his players.

 

00:23:44,480 - 00:23:50,800

 

All together, the Children of Isan!

 

On the attack, the Children of Isan!

 

00:23:52,960 - 00:23:53,960

Nice one kid!

 

00.23.55.06

 

Tempers start to flare.

 

00:23:59,120 - 00:24:00,601

That's got to be a red card!

 

00.24.02.00

 

the Look Esan go for broke…

 

…but to no avail.

 

00:24:06,800 - 00:24:07,920

Well played Zola!

 

 

00.24.11.23

 

The opposition’s Brazillian striker breaks them on the counter attack.

 

00.24.24.04

 

The Look Esan concedes in the closing minutes of the game.

 

00:24:37,880 - 00:24:39,015

Don't worry about it guys...

 

00.24.42.20

 

The last minute defeat leaves a bitter taste for the players.

 

00:24:48,160 - 00:24:54,800

They're exhausted, you see that?

 

Well that's the problem, we don't have enough good substitutes to bring on.

 

00.25.01.16

 

The future of the Look Esan is uncertain. Without sponsors, the club’s infrastructure cannot be improved, and Kun Anucha may have to sell his beloved team.

 

00.25.21.09

 

In the north of the capital, Tassirou leaves for his scheduled daily stroll.

 

 

00:25:26,600 - 00:25:34,491

 

I go to a place near me where I can get WiFi.

 

I use it to call my family.

 

It means a lot to me.

 

00:25:37,120 - 00:25:45,800

 

How are you guys?

 

I miss you a lot little sister, I swear!

 

Pass me my big brother Pelé!

 

00.26.04.02

 

Back in Senegal, the family take it in turns to speak over the phone, all sharing concern over Tassirou’s situation.  

 

 

 

 

 

00:25:53,160 - 00:26:04,789

 

He's giving it his all to succeed.

 

We worry about him over there, because he has no family with him.

 

He has nothing there.

 

We can't know for sure what's going on.

 

00.26.05.14

 

Tonight however, he has some good news to share.

 

00:26:09,880 - 00:26:26,253

 

I've got a tryout tomorrow.

 

I'm waiting to get confirmation from the team.

 

I think I'm going to play attacking midfield.

 

Don't be worried, pray for me, it will be fine.

 

If God wills it, it will happen.

 

00.26.34.04

 

A team from the forth division have invited Tassirou for a try out.

 

Chérif acted as a broker.

 

 

00:26:46,640 - 00:27:06,013

 

I don't know anything about this team.

 

I don't even know its name, or any of the players.

 

They just told me that I should come here to play, and I said OK.

 

I'm not stressed out.

 

I'm feeling confident.

 

I just want to show my best, that's all.

 

00.27.06.20

 

Rangsit is a university team with a small budget.

 

Amongst the team are students, with no plans to go professional.

 

Once the coach arrives, he shares a brief exchange with Tassirou.

 

00:27:20,984 - 00:27:21,984

Hello.

 

00.27.25.04

 

He’s unsure if he’ll eventually get on the pitch.

00.27.31.06

 

During the warmup, a few other African players join the group.

 

When picking his team, the coach gives them priority.

 

Tassirou will have to wait.

 

00:27:44,462 - 00:27:56,234

 

Just by looking at them, he saw that they were bigger than me.

 

I'm not as muscular as them, but I guess we'll see on the pitch.

 

All I need is five minutes.

 

I'm going to show them my best.

 

I'm going to show them something.

 

00.27.57.00

 

The friendly is going nowhere.

 

Tassirou gets on for the last 20 minutes.

 

00.28.25.17

 

An instant playmaker, he gives it his all. 

 

00.28.34.01

 

He makes a decisive pass.

 

00.28.40.09

 

The coach is intrigued.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

00:28:43,040 - 00:28:58,080

He's not bad.

 

He's technically skilled.

 

But I need more time to watch him play.

 

We have yet to see if he can match the others physically.

 

00.29.20.00

 

A few days later, the coach reaches out to Tassiou.

 

00.29.15.01

 

He is set to join the team in the next transfer window.