Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
How they qualified: Winners – Thai Premier League and Thai FA Cup 2011
Established 1970
Nickname Thunder Castle
Home stadium Buriram Stadium (24,000)
Website www.buriramunited.co.th
Club Honours
Thai Premier League champions 2 – 2008, 11
Thai FA Cup winners 1 – 2011
Thai League Cup winners 1 – 2011
Previous ACL appearances
2009 – Qualifying play-off
Having swept the board in Thai football during the 2011 season, Buriram United will get a good idea of just how they rank amongst the continent’s elite when they compete in the AFC Champions League group stage for the first time.
The club won the Thai Premier League as Provincial Electricity Authority in 2008 but their fortunes really took off two years ago when they were taken over by politician Newin Chidchob, who moved them to his home province of Buriram in north-eastern Thailand.
Renamed Buriram PEA, they romped to the league title last year, finishing 16 points ahead of runners-up Chonburi and also emerged victorious in the Thai FA Cup and Thai League Cup.
Nicknamed “Thunder Castle”, the club have changed their official name to Buriram United for the upcoming season and they will be looking to make an impression on the continental stage with a talented side that includes Thai internationals Suchao Nutnum, Surat Sukha and Jakkrahphan Kaewprom and talented imports like Cameroonian striker Franck Ohandza, the leading scorer in the Thai league last year with 19 goals.
Expectations
Buriram may have ruled Thai football last season but they face a difficult AFC Champions League debut after they were drawn in a formidable group that also includes the league champions of China, Japan and Korea. No Thai club has reached the knockout stage since BEC Tero Sasana went all way to the final in 2003 and it will be a tough ask for Buriram to end that run given their tough draw.
Coach
Attaphol Puspakom
Attaphol Puspakom is one of the finest minds in Thai football and won the league title with Muang Thong United in 2009 before claiming the treble with Buriram last season. Having led BEC Tero Sasana to the AFC Champions League final in 2003 and guided Krung Thai Bank through the group stage in 2008, the 49-year-old is coaching his third different team in Asia’s premier club competition.
Did you know?
Buriram will finally play in the AFC Champions League this year after they twice missed out on the group stage. As Provincial Electricity Authority, they were disqualified from the competition in 2006 after they failed to meet the deadline for player registrations and they were knocked out in the play-offs by Singapore Armed Forces in 2009.
Key Player
Suchao Nutnum
Since he joined the club from Indonesian side Persib Bandung in 2010, Thailand international Suchao Nutnum has become a firm favourite with the Buriram fans. The tough-tackling and hard-running attacking midfielder is a key man up front for the Thunder Castle and as well as creating opportunities, he has also contributed his fair share of goals with 10 in the league last season.