Madam Pang and the Thai Football Federation lost the lawsuit and had to pay nearly 300 billion VND.

On March 6, the Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court read out the Supreme Court's ruling in the copyright and licensing contract lawsuit between Siamsport Syndicate Joint Stock Company and the Football Association of Thailand (FAT).

The case began when Cineplex Co., Ltd. filed a lawsuit against Siamsport Syndicate Joint Stock Company, the entity holding the broadcasting rights to matches organized by FAT. Siamsport then countersued FAT and 20 related individuals, alleging copyright and contract violations.

The Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court (the court of first instance) ruled that Siamsport must pay Cineplex 240 million baht in compensation, with interest. In addition, FAT must pay Siamsport 50 million baht in compensation, with interest. Subsequently, all three parties, Siamsport, FAT and Cineplex, appealed. The Specialized Court of Appeal increased the compensation that FAT must pay Siamsport to 450 million baht.

Madam Pang and the Football Association of Thailand must pay large sums of money after losing the lawsuit

When the case was brought to the Supreme Court, the court amended the appeals court's ruling, ordering FAT to compensate Siamsport 360 million baht (about 272 billion VND), with interest from the date of the lawsuit until the payment is completed.

The lawsuit, which began when Somyot Poompanmoung was president of the FAT, has now been closed under the current president, Madam Pang. The cause of the lawsuit lies in the conflict over the contract for the exploitation of television copyrights of the Thai League (Thai National Championship). In 2001, Siam Sport had an agreement with the FAT that they would receive 95% of the profits and bear all the financial risks. The contract was later extended until 2025 under the FAT president, Worawi Makudi.

By 2014, Thai football was booming thanks to the success of the national team, making the Thai League profitable. In 2016, Mr. Somyot Poompanmoung became the president of FAT and argued that the contract with Siam Sport was unfair because FAT only received 5% of the profits. Mr. Somyot then decided to cancel the 7-year contract. As a result, Siam Sport sued FAT.

The case also involved Cineplex, a subsidiary of TrueVisions. They signed a contract to broadcast the Thai League but were unable to do so because Siam Sport lost the rights after the FAT terminated the contract. Notably, this unit had paid Siam Sport 240 million baht in advance to broadcast the 2016 season. However, because the contract was terminated by the FAT, Siam Sport could not provide the copyright as promised. Therefore, the court eventually ruled that Siam Sport must pay 240 million baht to Cineplex.

After receiving the latest verdict, Madam Pang shared on her personal Facebook: "Every problem can be solved. This is not the end of the world . I would like to quote my father, Mr. Phothipong, to remind myself."

Madam Pang has only been in office as FAT president for a year but is now facing a debt of up to 360 million baht. Now, Madam Pang will have to find a way to pay 360 million baht to Siam Sport.

Mr. Ngoc

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/madam-pang-va-lien-doan-bong-da-thai-lan-thua-kien-phai-tra-gan-300-ty-dong-ar930472.html