Singapore custodian Hassan Sunny is considering a loan move after his Thai Premier League (TPL) club was relegated from the top division following the halting of the 2016 season.
Football Association of Thailand (FAT) had announced it would halt the the 2016 Thai football season, even with three matches remaining, after the country entered a one-year mourning period for late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The Thais have been asked to tone down entertainment activities for a period of 30 days.
Despite the government's go-ahead for sports activities on Saturday, the FAT upheld its decision to halt the TPL season after a meeting with the Thai franchises on Monday. The decision meant Hassan's Army United along with Chainat Hornbill and BBCU were relegated from the 18-team league.
Meanwhile, Leaders Muangthong United, who just had a five-point lead over fierce rivals Bangkok United, went away with the title.
Hassan though expressed his desire to feature in the top division and conceded he might as well have to play in Division 1, the second-tier league, as he had a one-year contract left with the Thai club.
The 32-year-old Singapore international, who joined the Thai club in 2015, however maintained he loved the challenges in Thailand. He added he will meet with the chairman of Army United soon to discuss the possibilities of a loan move to another TPL club.
"I still have one more year on my contract with Army United, so I will have to play in Division 1 if they want me to," Hassan was quoted as saying by The New Paper.
"No disrespect to Division 1, but I would like to still play in the top division if possible, as I feel I can still play at this level.
"I love the challenge here in Thailand. Week in, week out, every game feels like an international match here in terms of the standard of play, the intensity and the environment.
"There is a new chairman at my club, so I am not sure now what direction they want to take for next season.
"I will meet with him soon and hope to get a clearer picture. If I do not fit in their plans, I will request to go on loan at another TPL club."
Notably, the FAT decided to stick to its original decision despite reported complaints from Army United and Chainat, who were in danger of relegation along with five other teams, saying the governing body's decision had resulted in "unfair relegation with three matches and nine points to play for".
However, the FAT announced that the 2018 Fifa World Cup Qualifier Asia group tie between the War Elephants and Australia on 15 November will stay in Bangkok after reported speculations of changing the venue to Singapore or a direct swap with Australia.
Thailand will also participate in the 2016 AFF Suzuki Cup - starting 19 November - in which they are drawn in Group A along with co-hosts Philippines, Singapore and Indonesia.
