"Coach Mee" opens up after leading Thailand's futsal team to a win over Vietnam, securing a spot in the 2026 ASEAN Championship semifinals as group champions.
Rukpol Sainetngam, known as "Coach Mee," head coach of Thailand's men's futsal team, stated that futsal nowadays has developed everywhere; no team scores 10 or 20 goals anymore. He shared his view that there is a difference between developing teams and established teams, hoping to help elevate Thailand's national team, but it will take time.
Coach Mee said, "In today's futsal, no team scores 10 or 20 goals anymore. Every team has its own methods. From my experience, managing a developing team versus a successful team presents different challenges."
"For example, when I worked with Malaysia, it was easier for them to improve because we supported them and helped them develop their style of play, which accelerated their progress."
"But when working with Thailand's national team, with standards set by Pulpis and Miguel, the bar is quite high. Raising the team's level is possible, but every coach needs time. There's no such thing as easy futsal nowadays."
"Don't think that Vietnam is just catching up to us—yes, that's true. Indonesia is also closing in. Some might say they've already surpassed us. But for me, Thai futsal is still at a good standard. Maintaining and improving that standard requires time—years, not miracles in one or two weeks."
"I've been coaching less than a month, but we have to do it because as coaches, we have no excuses. Our duty is to help the team improve. You can see in every ASEAN Championship game, the level has been steadily rising. That makes me happy. Most importantly, the team's unity and each player's commitment to representing Thailand—I thank the players for that."
"Now we've reached the semifinals with two games left. We'll give our best and strive to further raise the team's level."
"Thanks to the fans for filling the stands. I hope the next game will see the same full support. Thank you very much to Thai futsal fans for supporting us."
Next, Thailand's men's futsal team will compete in the 2026 ASEAN Championship semifinals against Australia, ranked 51st in the world, at the Nonthaburi Provincial Gymnasium on 10 April 2026 at 20:00 GMT+7.