Newin Thanks Crown Prince Tunku Ismail of Johor Following Buriram's Victory
Buriram United president Newin Chidchob thanked Crown Prince Tunku Ismail of Johor after the Thai club's 3-1 AFC Cup semi-final victory, calling for regional unity to elevate Asian football on the global stage.
Newin Chidchob, president of Buriram United, expressed heartfelt gratitude to Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim of Johor for congratulating Buriram United on their triumphant 3-1 victory over Johor Darul Ta'zim in the first leg of the 2025-26 AFC Cup semi-final.
"Competitor and ally," Newin's statement read, "we cannot thank Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim enough. We thank the Johor FC fans who attended the match and created such a magnificent and impressive atmosphere for us. Both our clubs—Buriram United and Johor FC—must work together to bring Asian club football to compete with Asia's finest in the AFC Champions League with honor and dignity in the future.
We must unite to make every club in Asia respect and not overlook ASEAN football. We must attract world-class footballers to play in our league in greater numbers to elevate Asian football and bring greater joy to fans with more exciting competition.
As president of Buriram United and on behalf of the Buriram people, we stand ready to warmly welcome the prince, Johor FC, and all their supporters to the second leg at Chang Arena with great pleasure. We hope you will be impressed from the moment you arrive in Buriram until you depart.
We hope Johor FC and Buriram United will be rivals that bring fans joy in the stadium and partners working together to develop and create a future where the global football community respects, takes interest in, and accepts Asian clubs even more."
