Intro:

Thai star Teerasil Dangda will miss the Suzuki Cup to stay with his Spanish Primera League club Almeria because he is barred contractually from playing in non-FIFA certified tournaments.

Script:

Juggling club commitments, with international commitments, has put Thailand's Teerasil Dangda offside.

He's stuck in Spain, while his national team-mates start their quest for a third Suzuki Cup.

SOUNDBITE Teerasil Dangda, UD Almeria and Thailand striker

"I want to play, but the problem is that it is not certified by FIFA."

The Almeria striker is barred contractually from playing in non-FIFA certified tournaments, leaving Thailand without their best player.

Dangda joined the Spanish side on a year long loan deal in February.

He's struggling to make an impact - his debut didn't come until August when he came on as a substitute against Espanyol.

SOUNDBITE: Teerasil Dangda, UD Almeria and Thailand striker

"I admit that I still have some communication problems in expressing what I want to do. As for my number of appearances in matches, it's just a few because of the difference of where I come from. I came from Thai league to La Liga. There is a lot of difference."

On Sunday, Thailand couldn't make up the difference without him.

They opened their Suzuki Cup campaign with a 2-1 loss to Singapore.

While Dangda admits it's hard to see his national side play without him, he'll stay in Spain in the hope of making it in La Liga.