Information announced by FAT Chairman Nualphan Lamsam, the final installment payment of 15 million baht will be made in early March, thereby closing the direct obligation in the multi-year lawsuit related to the Thai League copyright contract.
The dispute originated from the unilateral decision to terminate the copyright exploitation contract between FAT and Siam Sport in the previous term. After the trial, the Court ordered FAT to compensate 120 million baht for breach of commercial commitments.
In the past year, the Football Association of Thailand has gradually paid this amount and is about to complete the entire amount according to the content of the judgment.
However, Thai media believes that FAT's financial pressure has not stopped. A local newspaper mentioned an additional 240 million baht obligation related to Siam Sport and TrueVisions, the television rights holders.
Accordingly, FAT will have to work with TrueVisions to agree on a handling plan, which may be in the direction of installment payment or adjusting the commercial exploitation mechanism to balance benefits between parties.
If both parts of the obligations are included, the total amount related may be up to 360 million baht, excluding accrued interest. Completing the 120 million baht is considered the first step in the Federation's financial restructuring process, the rest depends on the negotiation results and the ability to balance revenue in the near future.
