Manchester City are without their new owner Thaksin Shinawatra as he is back in Thailand facing serious charges. According to Human Rights Watch he stands accused of “leading a regime responsible for numerous extrajudicial executions, disappearances, torture and the deaths of hundreds of Malay Muslims; the deaths of 2,275 in his war on drugs; attacks on media freedom.” The massive sums he is also accused of stealing are almost incidental, although they have helped fund City’s revival.
So grateful are City, reports The Observer , that their players are happy to overlook the torture and disappearances to back their benefactor. “Thaksin’s very generous and a very nice person,” gushed Kasper Schmeichel, sent to Thailand to promote Thaksin’s work with children. “He’s a very good man and we’re close to his heart. He’s a genuine guy.”
City’s media manager Paul Tyrell, staying in Thaksin’s luxury hotel in Bangkok, added: “If Thaksin continues to invest in City, we’ll be hugely grateful.”
