Thaksin uses players as political pawns

Two Manchester City footballers, Kasper Schmeichel and Kelvin Etuhu, appear to have been used in a propaganda exercise when they accompanied the club’s owner, deposed Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, back to Bangkok on Wednesday. The goalkeeper and midfielder, who say they are in Thailand to hold soccer clinics with local children, have walked into a political row with Thaksin's opponents who ousted him in a military coup in September 2006.

The former PM, who made his fortune in telecoms, returned home to face corruption allegations after living abroad for 18 months. Before he was whisked away to court - where he was released on bail of around £130,000 - Thaksin received a hero's welcome at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport from thousands of teary-eyed supporters.

But his critics are accusing the 58-year-old billionaire, who is based in London, of using his football team as a way to win the hearts and minds of the Thai people, many of whom are big fans of the English Premier League.

Thaksin kept himself busy in exile by buying Manchester City for £81.6m and appointing former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson as manager. However, while the interim military regime which overthrew him dissolved his 'Thais Love Thai' political party and banned him from politics, elections at the end of last year returned many of Thaksin's allies to government as members of the new People Power Party. The new prime minister, Samak Sundaravej, who heads PPP, won widespread support by campaigning as Thaksin's proxy and pledging to clear his name.

Both his admirers and his enemies believe he is the true power behind the PPP, and may have bankrolled its election campaign. On Wednesday he insisted that he is "finished" with politics and intends to concentrate on his football interests.

Thaksin and his wife, Pojaman, face corruption and conflict of interest charges in connection with her purchase of prime Bangkok real estate from a state agency in 2003, while he was PM. Pojaman returned to Thailand in January and was released on bail pending trial.