Makudi was suspended by world football's governing body in October of last year for violating general rules of conduct under FIFA's Code of Ethics, including loyalty, forgery and falsification.

It came as a result of the former Football Association of Thailand (FAT) President being given a 16-month suspended jail sentence by the Southern Bangkok Criminal Court for forging documents during his re-election campaign in 2013.

Makudi was accused of wrongfully changing the statutes prior to the vote.

The case was brought by Thai football club Pattaya FC, who were supporting Virach Chanpanit, his challenger for the top job at the FAT.

FIFA also found the 65-year-old had failed to co-operate with their own investigation into the issue.

Makudi now has renewed hope that an appeal to FIFA would be successful as Thailand's Appeals Court have acquitted him of the charges he was originally banned for.

According to Agence France Presse, Pattaya FC have opted not to contest the ruling to the Supreme Court, effectively spelling the end of the case.

The official, who served as a member of the FIFA Executive Committee - now called the FIFA Council - for 18 years up until 2015, has accused FIFA of rushing the decision to ban him.

"They have to accept the decision from the court," he told AFP.

"I don't know why they were so rushed to make a decision at that time because I told them to wait for our legal proceedings."

The Bangkok Post have claimed he will take his appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) if FIFA opt not to lift his suspension.

Makudi was originally suspended for 90 days by world football's governing body in October 2015 and FIFA's Ethics Committee triggered its right to extend that sanction by a further 45 days in January 2016.

It was then found that Makudi failed to comply with his ban and was still involved with FAT matters when he was supposed to be barred from all football business.

The extension of Makudi's initial ban prevented him from standing for another term as FAT President, with Somyot Pumpanmuang eventually elected to replace him.

FIFA's Ethics Committee had also investigated him in 2011 over allegations that more than $800,000 (£626,000/€737,000) of development money was spent on projects built on land he owned near Bangkok.

That case was closed after FIFA accepted documents allegedly showing Makudi, an Executive Committee member during the votes for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, donated the land to the FAT.