Supachai in as Thailand name 29 probables
Chenrop, Kevin also called up for training camp
>> The Football Association of Thailand (FAT) yesterday announced its initial 29-man squad for the upcoming Asian Games in Indonesia.
The players include striker Chenrop Samphaodi of SCG Muang Thong United, Port defender Kevin Deeromram and Buriram United forward Supachai Jaided.
The football tournament at the Asian Games is for players aged under 23 years with each team allowed to field three overage players.
Chenrop, 23, was a key player in the Thai squad, which won the gold medal at last year’s SEA Games.
The striker and Swedish-Thai Kevin have already played for the senior national team.
The players will report to the training camp on Tuesday and play two warm-up games.
Coach Worrawoot Srimaka will trim the squad to 20 players and fly to Indonesia on Aug 12.
The War Elephants are in Group B with Uzbekistan, Qatar and Bangladesh and will begin their campaign against Qatar on Aug 14.
The Games will officially begin on Aug 18 and end on Sept 2.
Supachai, 19, said he was happy to receive a call-up to the U23 national side.
“I will do my best and work hard to be in the 20-man team,” said Supachai.
Thailand have never won a medal in f ootball at the Asian Games although they have finished fourth on four occasions in 1990, 1998, 2002 and 2014.
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates will face China, East Timor and Syria at the Asian Games after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) conducted a partial redraw of the football competition on Friday following Iraq’s late withdrawal.
The redraw was the second time the group phase of the competition had to be amended after organisers had not included the UAE and Palestine in the original selection when it was conducted in early July.
Iraq’s decision on Thursday not to compete threw up further complications for organisers, leaving only three teams in their group while two other groups — featuring the late additions from the UAE and Palestine — contained five nations.
The football competition begins on Aug 10, with the final to be played on Sept 1.
Indonesian Asian Games Organising Committee (Inasgoc) chairman Erick Thohir said football would be the opener for the 2018 tournament.
“The first match, up to today [Friday], will be soccer on Aug 10. If everything goes according to plan, soccer will be the first matches on Aug 10 and Aug 12, and then basketball on Aug 14,” said Erick.