One of the unanswered questions from the Football Association of Thailand is when they will finally appoint the head coach of the Thailand U20 national team.
Following the failures of various Thai national teams over the past one to two years, fans have consistently questioned the development plans, especially regarding long-term strategic planning.
The Thailand U20 team is under close watch because this age group is a crucial transition stage from youth to senior level.
Historically, Thailand's U20 team has never succeeded at the Asian level. The stated goal of reaching the 'Youth World Cup' remains more of a 'dream-selling' policy rather than a reality.
Yet, for unknown reasons, the association continues to delay and has not rushed to appoint personnel to get the team moving, even though the U20 team has been inactive for a full year.
Since being eliminated in the first round of the 2025 AFC U20 Asian Cup in China in February last year, Thailand's U20 team has been neglected with no activity.
The association took back management of the U20 team after the two-year MOU with Buriram United ended. The club had been entrusted with the team to pursue the dream of reaching the Youth World Cup but ultimately failed to meet the goal and did not continue.
However, over the past year, the association has done nothing, letting time go to waste. When asked, they often respond irritably that 'the team has no tournaments scheduled.'
When interviewing the association's secretary-general several months ago about when a coach would be appointed, the answer was that the technical department planned to start the first camp in December. But two months into the new year, no camp has been held.
Similarly, after the SEA Games failure, the association’s vice president for technical affairs was asked when the U20 coach would be appointed. He said all candidates had been interviewed and an official appointment was expected after the New Year. Yet, until now, there has been total silence.
Recently, the association’s spokesman replied in a comment on the “Bubble Yingrak” Facebook page that all coach interviews were done and a name would likely be proposed at the board meeting for official appointment. However, after Monday’s meeting, there has been no progress.
In summary, there has been no progress at all with the U20 team, which is supposed to be a beacon of hope. Soon, promises will be made again about aiming for the Youth World Cup and then progressing to the SEA Games or Olympics.
The question is, why the delay?
Frankly, it is believed the U20 head coach position will go to 'Coach Tia' Sasom Pobprasert because the other leading candidates who were interviewed or previously considered are unlikely to be chosen.
The first favorite, 'Coach Toi' Sirisak Yodyathai, is reportedly not favored due to past issues when he served as interim coach of the Thai national team, so he is probably out of the running.
'Coach Dat' Thongchai Rungreunglert, another pro-licensed coach, has already reached out to assemble his staff as instructed, but was told to wait for the board meeting outcome. With no progress, he has now taken a position with Chanthaburi.
Therefore, unless there is a surprise, 'Coach Tia' is likely to be the U20 head coach. However, the issue is he still has a contract and commitments with PT Prachuap.
This may be why the association has not announced the U20 coach appointment yet, as they must wait for Coach Tia’s contract with 'The Killer Bees' to expire at the end of this season.
The Thai League is expected to conclude only in May, so until then, will the U20 team remain inactive despite having scheduled competitions from mid-year, including the ASEAN Championship and AFC qualifiers?
No one questions Coach Tia’s skills, licenses, or extensive experience. The concern is whether the preparation time will be sufficient and effective, as the process is already delayed.
A coach who trained alongside Japanese coaches mentioned that Japan’s U20 team has been preparing for about a year and a half, with some players recently winning the AFC U23 Championship.
Japan is far stronger than us, but they have been preparing for a long time. So who are we to remain so relaxed? At minimum, there needs to be clarity and a plan to begin work immediately.
The saying 'slow and steady wins the race' does not apply here. If delays continue and failure recurs, the team will likely face only criticism from the fans.
By...Bubble