"Coach Mee" complains about the pitch conditions at the Asian Futsal Championship, saying the Thailand national team had not prepared to face such conditions.
"Coach Mee" Rakpol Sainetngam, head coach of the Thailand men's national futsal team, spoke after the Asian Futsal Championship group stage match in Group B. Thailand defeated Lebanon 2-0 with goals from Worasilk Sriharangphairoj and Muhammad Usman Musa.
"The first game was always going to be tough. Lebanon didn't come to play with us directly; they focused on long balls. I must praise the boys for their patience because we had to learn how to play against opponents with this style who didn't engage much and played long balls all the time. For me, the 2-0 score isn't the main point; what's important is we didn't concede any goals and secured three points," Coach Mee said.
"As for the next game against Kuwait, we know their playing style well since we face them quite often. They are fast and have a good coach. However, the biggest problem for our team is the pitch condition, which doesn't match what we've trained on. We practice on a relatively fast surface. This isn't an excuse, but we must quickly adapt and understand the pitch and the ball. Kuwait is a strong team, so we need to prepare well, rest, and recover quickly."
"We have minor mistakes to fix, so we must prepare thoroughly. Tomorrow, we'll have training to address the in-game situation and get ready to play well against Kuwait on the pitch."
Worasilk Sriharangphairoj, who scored the first goal in this tournament, said, "The goal helped relieve pressure on the team. We've practiced this formation somewhat, but what happened was also about timing and game momentum. In this match, I think everyone performed up to their standard. There are still issues with the pitch and the futsal ball not being quite right yet, but I believe we will do better in the next games."
"Before the game, we had good team spirit. During the match, there were difficult moments, but we got through them and are doing better now. For the next game, we must focus. Personally, I have many things to improve, including finishing and calling for the ball."
The Thailand men's national futsal team will play their second Group B match against Kuwait at the 2026 Asian Futsal Championship. The match will take place at the Jakarta International Velodrome on 29 January 2026 at 17:00 GMT+7, with live coverage on YouTube channel BG Sports.