My Chiang Mai: Farangutan football club

Standing here waiting for the football game to begin, surrounded by forest covered mountains and paddy fields with dragon flies whizzing about my head in the heat of the afternoon, I am reminded how different it all seems from playing on freezing Sunday mornings in South Yorkshire.

In this industrial part of northern England, the backdrop was usually rows of bleak housing estates with the opposition looking like it had escaped from a zoo. Although when the game began I often thought that gorillas would be more sporting and gentle in their play than my opponents.

However, in Chiang Mai the weather, backdrop and opposition are unrecognisable from this scenario. The only thing familiar about the set-up, besides the round ball and two goals, are the pasty faces of my colleagues. For I play for Chiang Mai's only non-Thai team, the mighty Farangutans.

This rag-tag bunch of misfits, teachers and journalists, consists of exiled English, Scots, Brazilians, Americans, Welsh and believe it or not, Zimbabweans. We like to think we are seen as the Manchester United of the Chiang Mai Senior League, but I think this is more to do with everybody wanting to beat us, nobody liking us, our players getting more money than the opposition and our petulance rather than any footballing ability.

There are some obvious cultural misunderstandings, i.e. farangs are not allowed to tackle Thai players and only our players can be offside. Some may call this cheating, especially when the referee instructs their players on how best to take a free kick against us, but that is to quibble unnecessarily.

The truth is, despite the gamesmanship, the matches here are much friendlier and enjoyable than in England's Sunday Leagues and once the final whistle goes, there is usually a joint group photo or shared beer to ensure that any grievances are forgotten.

Our most recent game was a resounding success for the foreigners as we triumphed 4-1. Our Brazilian sharp-shooter scored his customary goal and the defence as usual was rock-solid. Although, with the season nearing completion I am concerned that I may not get on the score-sheet despite playing 30 odd games, I may have to score an own-goal just to savour the feeling of watching the net ripple.

I also worry that when the season finishes my weight will pile on, as there is nothing like running around for ninety minutes in blistering temperatures to sweat away the excess pounds caused by a week's drinking and unhealthy pursuits.

These transgressions usually begin straight after the final whistle when we are all head off to the UN Irish Pub, who proudly sponsors the team, to celebrate or commiserate our problems. For me, the football perfectly sums up my Chiang Mai as being a place which is both exotic and familiar with all the benefits of being at home and none of the drawbacks.

Wayne Johnson from the UK

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