This marks his third year in Thailand, having joined PAFC as a free agent after two seasons with Ubon Kruanapat FC. While he holds fond memories of Ubon Rachatani, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to move to PAFC, despite interest from Thai League 2 clubs.
The multicultural island with its cosmopolitan towns and stunning beaches wasn’t the primary draw. Instead, it was the excitement surrounding the club’s ambitious project, headed by Russell Horsley.
Torky appears to be settling in seamlessly, with impressive Thai language skills that he modestly describes as “workable”. His camaraderie with teammates is evident, joking and communicating as if they’ve known each other for years. He blends in like a native, except when it comes to food. He draws the line at the level of spice his teammates can handle. His assimilation and language skills have proved invaluable to the new ownership, who often rely on him to translate ideas during team meetings and training.
The 26-year-old forward, capable of playing across the front line, considers his ideal position as an inside forward cutting in from the wings and contributing goals, as demonstrated in his first league outing against FC Yala.
He is enthusiastic about the project at Phuket Andaman and confident that the club can succeed with its new emphasis on Western-style tactics and training. He cautions that it will take time, as Thai football, like many things in the Kingdom, is resistant to change. However, he believes the squad is receptive to the new ideas and will adapt and thrive.
He appreciates the team’s attempt to play an attractive passing style, which suits his own playing style. If pitch conditions allow, he believes the team will dominate and surprise many Thai League 3 opponents unaccustomed to this style of play.
He does acknowledge the need for a Plan B and discusses how they have been practicing a more direct style to counter the challenging conditions on most pitches during the rainy season. This is particularly evident at home, where the municipally-owned Surakul Stadium’s poorly maintained pitch has been a thorn in the club’s side. He remains optimistic, asserting that they just need to keep pushing forward; the results have been slow to come this season, but they will.
‘DESIRE’
When asked why he left Egypt, where he was on the books at El Ghaba Sporting Club, the Cairo-born native spoke of a desire to challenge himself, see the world, and prove his abilities, with a long-term goal of playing for the national team.
Thai football was a shock, and he talks about issues with the local game and how most teams focus on fitness and conditioning rather than developing players and tactics. He also highlights the need for improvement in local nutritional awareness. He notes that PAFC is trying to change all of these things, but acknowledges that it will take time.
On refereeing, he is brutally honest: “Playing against some teams, it’s like they have 12 men. I’m not saying they pay the referee, but there is often a bias that is hard to explain.”
Returning to PAFC and his hopes for the season, he acknowledges that Thai League 3 is the hardest to gain promotion from but is certain the team has a chance. “If we push forward together and listen to what the owners and coaches want, we can get there. It will be tough; of the 70 teams in T3 split over six divisions, only two from each league go into the national round, from which three of those 12 are finally promoted to T2. We have a strong core of a team with belief, players like Bank, Mark, the Twins (Kla & Keng), and Boss who will be key to the future of the club.”
Torky possesses a contagious charm, and it’s easy to see why he is so popular with players, management, and fans alike. The season has a long way to go, and we hope his hopes and ambitions come to fruition, and the joy he finds in being in Phuket is shared by the supporters who are thrilled to have him here.
For more information on PAFC please visit https://linktr.ee/phuketandamanfc or Simon Causton’s PAFC blog: https://phuketandamanfc.substack.com/.