Worrawoot begs for forgiveness
Thailand U23 coach Worrawoot Srimaka has offered his apologies after the War Elephants failed to progress past the group stage at the Asian Games for the first time in 24 years.
Thailand’s exit was confirmed on Monday night as results of other games meant they could not reach the knockout stage as one of four best third-placed teams along with the top two teams of six groups.
Thailand finished third in Group B after 1-1 draws with Qatar and Bangladesh and a 1-0 loss to Uzbekistan.
“We did our best. I have to apologise to Thai fans for disappointing them,’’ Worrawoot said yesterday.
He, however, would not say whether he would quit. “I will discuss my future [with parties involved] after we return home. But I think I did my best.”
The squad are scheduled to arrive in Bangkok tomorrow.
Forward Supachai Chaided, who scored Thailand’s both goals of the tournament, said it’s a pity that the team suffered an early exit.
“I will try to improve myself. I have to improve my physical condition,” said the Buriram United star.
There have been calls for the Football Association of Thailand to fire Worrawoot but FAT president Somyot Poompunmuang insisted yesterday he would not fire the coach who guided Thailand to gold medal at last year’s SEA Games.
He said sacking coach was not the best way to solve problems.
“After they return, we have to talk about problems and find ways to solve them,”
Somyot said.
There have also been calls for Somyot to resign for his failure to lead Thailand to another level.
But Somyot claimed that during his first two years as FAT boss he had laid the foundation for the development of the game. His target, he said, is to make Thailand reach the World Cup for the first time in the 2026 finals.