Thaksin Shinawatra's grand plans for Manchester City appear to be in tatters after the former Thailand prime minister landed in London this morning.
Thaksin was due to fly from his Beijing base to Thailand, accompanied by his wife, to answer charges in a property case, one of a number brought against the couple.
Instead, they have opted to fly to the UK, with the Thai authorities immediately issuing arrest warrants against the pair. It is expected the Manchester City owner will seek asylum, claiming he would not receive a fair trial in his home country.
The British Home Office are bound to consider the matter closely, not least because the People's Power Party, supposedly sympathetic to Thaksin, are currently in charge of a coalition government.
However, their influence does not appear to spread to the judiciary, who last month sentenced Thaksin's wife Pojaman, and her brother, to three-year prison terms for tax evasion.
That Pojaman was released on bail, the terms of which have been broken by today's development, merely adds to the complexity of the case and to the headaches of the Premier League, who must decide whether Thaksin still passes their 'fit and proper person's test'.
Previously, the Premier League have taken their lead from the Home Office in such matters and are likely to do so again.
However, it now seems unlikely Thaksin will be able to reclaim the €1billion currently frozen in Thailand, placing a major question mark over his ability to fund City, who he bought 14 months ago with the stated aim of turning them into a Champions League outfit.
It has already been suggested many of the deals done by Sven-Goran Eriksson last summer were done with a relatively small down payment, the same applying to transfers of Jo and Tal Ben Haim this summer.
Although Eriksson's successor Mark Hughes managed to halt Vedran Corluka's proposed move to Tottenham at the weekend, his rebuilding plans have been badly affected ahead of next Sunday's opening Premier League game at Aston Villa.
"Dr Thaksin will be making no statements in London while the judicial process remains active and he is not going to get involved in conversations about Manchester City," confirmed a City source this lunchtime.
Before his departure from China, Thaksin outlined his own version of the charges levelled against him, which he remains convinced are politically motivated.
"What has happened to me and my family and my close relations has resulted from efforts to get rid of me from politics," he said.
"These are my political enemies. They don't care about the rule of law, facts or internationally recognised due process."
Thaksin has vowed to return to Thailand one day but it is difficult to see such a scenario arising in the near future.
