Bangkok's love affair with Man United

Man United has a huge fan base in South East Asia

By Simon Ingram in Bangkok

From the outside, there's little to distinguish the Pariwas temple from any of Bangkok's myriad Buddhist shrines.

One of Bangkok's temples has a statue of David Beckham

But if you're a Manchester United fan - and millions of Thais are - the temple is a venerable holy of holies.

The reason stands at the foot of a giant Buddha image, in a spot reserved for minor deities.

The crouching, gold-plated statue is of none other than United midfielder David Beckham, complete with the floppy hair that was - until he shaved his head last year - his most recognisable trade-mark.

The sculptor who created the golden idol - and the eccentric monks who commissioned it - are among the legions of United supporters eagerly awaiting the arrival of Beckham and his team-mates for the third and final leg of their pre-season South East Asian tour.

Sell-out tour

Like Manchester United's two previous games - in Kuala Lumpur and, on Tuesday, in Singapore - their appearance on Sunday at Bangkok's Rajamangala stadium is a guaranteed sell-out.

He describes his religion as "Manchester United", and has told his family he wants a United jersey draped across his coffin

Singapore's "Greatest Man United fan" winner

Security will be a major headache for the authorities, especially after the frenzied scenes that accompanied the players' arrival in Malaysia and Singapore. A police presence of more than 1,000 has been assigned to provide the team with round-the-clock security.

Of Manchester United's main English rivals, only Liverpool FC - who were themselves mobbed during a visit to Bangkok last week - can claim such a vast following across Asia.

Television is the principal reason. Hours of live Premier League football are broadcast each week, attracting massive audiences despite a time difference of up to seven hours. Team news and match reports often dominate the sports pages of the area's newspapers.

Fan club

In the streets of Asia's capitals, and in many remoter areas too, "Man United" bumper stickers and replica team shirts are a familiar sight.

This fanatical following has inevitably spawned a flourishing trade in counterfeit goods. Efforts to clamp down on this illicit business have met with only partial success.

There are plans to open a club shop in Bangkok

In Bangkok, Manchester United's unofficial fan club claims only 1,000 or so members. But the true level of support is surely much higher.

The club's chief executive, Peter Kenyon, claimed to a local newspaper this week that there were 1.8m Man United followers in Bangkok alone, out of a global following of 50m.

Here and elsewhere in the region, most fans claim to be genuine afficionados of the game. But much of the interest has to do with gambling.

Red Café

In Thailand, where betting on football matches is illegal, informal bookies nonetheless run a flourishing business. The same applies in Singapore and Malaysia.

While plans to open a Manchester United club shop in Bangkok are still being finalised, Singapore already boasts a Red Café on its main shopping thoroughfare, Orchard Road.

Roy Keane shows his skill as United beat Singapore 8 -1

Long queues of fans were seen buying shirts and other branded merchandise in the run-up to Tuesday's game, which saw United's millionaire stars romp to an 8-1 victory.

A newspaper competition to find Singapore's "greatest Man United fan" produced 1,000 contestants.

The title eventually went to a foreign exchange dealer. He describes his religion as "Manchester United" on application forms, and has told his family he wants a United jersey draped across his coffin.