Confused about Thaksin Shinawatra? So are we - that's why we put together the Eurosport.Yahoo.com's Idiot's Guide! Read it! Impress your friends!

Who is he?

Mr Thaksin is a 57-year-old Thai businessman and politician. After studying in Texas for a PhD in Criminal Justice (a prudent piece of forward thinking...) he started a career in the police. Soon after, he established the largest mobile phone operator in Thailand and became one of the country's richest people. In 2007 his personal fortune was estimated at around £2billion - that's around 84 Didier Drogbas, 132.8 Ruud van Nistelrooys or 94.5 Ronaldinhos.

What did he do with all that money?

Bob Dylan once sang: "If I had rubies and riches and crowns / I'd buy the whole world and change things around." Being obscenely wealthy Thaksin naturally craved power and a career in politics beckoned. He founded the Thai Rak Thai (Thais love Thais) party in 1998, and won a landslide election victory in 2001 to become Prime Minister of Thailand.

Did he make a good leader?

Initially, certainly. Poverty in the country fell by half in five years, and public health, education, energy, drug treatment, and international relations all thrived under his leadership. He became the first Prime Minister ever to serve his full five-year-term and won a re-election in 2005.

Sounds like a roaring success?

At first it was. But soon his government began to suffer from allegations of corruption, dictatorship, human rights abuses, and hostility towards the press. And when his family sold $1.9bn of their shares in one of Thailand's biggest telecom groups, the Thai people complained that he head avoided paying tax and passed control of an important national asset to Singaporean investors.

Not everyone liked him then?

No. In fact, some people didn't like Mr Thaksin at all. Some people hated him enough to try to assassinate him. He is said to have survived several attempts on his life, the most recent in August 2006, when police seized a 50-pound bomb and ten sticks of dynamite from under his car.

What happened next?

After a "no-vote" from the Thai people in a snap General Election, and several months of further protests, Mr Thaksin said he would step down. For a few weeks he did, although he soon returned to office, perhaps expecting no-one to notice. Unfortunately for Mr Thaksin, the Thai people did notice - and when he was out of the coutry attending a UN meeting in New York in September 2006, the Thai army moved in. They stripped his government of all their powers and told Mr Thaksin not to come home. It was a "bloodless coup," which means no-one was hurt.

Where is he now?

Mr Thaksin has been living in London, and he says he has "washed his hands of politics". However, his family's business dealings are now under investigation, as prosecutors in Thailand are accusing him of illegally helping his wife buy government-owned land at a bargain price four years ago.

Why does he want to buy Manchester City?

Some angry people say he only wants to buy an English football club to keep his name in the public eye back in Thailand, ready for when he decides to dirty his hands in politics once more. There are many fans of the Premier League in Thailand, although most people there support Manchester United, not Manchester City. Mr Thaksin himself recently told a Bangkok radio station that buying Manchester City "would be very beneficial to the image of the country and also beneficial to Thai youth." He didn't specify why or how this would be the case.

Is he a Manchester City supporter?

He is a man about whom little is known for sure. However, we can say for certain that Mr Thaksin has never heard of Colin Bell, Uwe Rosler or Garry Flitcroft.

Is he the next Roman Abramovich? Will he spend millions of pounds and turn City into double Premiership champions?

Mr Thaksin is a very rich man, but his reasons for buying City differ greatly from Mr Abramovich's reasons for buying Chelsea. The Russian billionaire wanted a "play-thing" to keep him from getting bored. This is not the case for Mr Thaksin, who likes to play golf to keep himself entertained. However, it has been said that money will be initially made available for new players, around £50m. That's around 25.1 Bernado Corradis or 8.1 Georgios Samarases.

Why does he want Sven Goran Eriksson as manager?

God knows.

--Alex Sharratt--