Ending the Songkran festival on Wednesday evening.
Feelings of disappointment and fulfillment mixed again for our Thai football.
The fulfillment came from the “Chaba Kaew” Thai women's senior football team, who proudly claimed the FIFA Series 2026 championship.
They triumphed over DR Congo 2-0 in the final, securing two clean-sheet victories in this tournament.
They received a 500,000 baht bonus from “President Pang” Nualphan Lamsam for this championship.
This marked a beautiful debut for “Coach Alfred” Netipong Sritong-In, former superstar Thai national striker of the ’90s, as full-time national team coach.
It also serves as strong encouragement for the new generation of Thai women's football as they prepare for the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, this September.
However, the big disappointment today was the unexpected loss by the 16-year-old Thai junior men’s team, the “Chang Suek.”
They were narrowly defeated 1-0 by Myanmar’s youth in their second U17 ASEAN Championship match held in Indonesia.
This left Thailand with 3 points from 2 games, dropping them to third place in the group.
In the final match on 18 April, they must defeat Laos to have a chance to advance as the best second-place team into the semifinals.
The young Chang Suek still have an opportunity to redeem themselves in the next game.
But the greatest disappointment, with no chance for redemption, was for the “Kaeo” squad, True Bangkok United.
They missed out on the AFC Champions League 2 final after losing to the strong Japanese team Gamba Osaka.
They lost 0-3 at home in the second leg of the East Zone semifinals.
The aggregate score of 1-3 ended their ACL2 campaign regrettably.
It’s especially regrettable because they made history by winning away against Gamba in Japan in the first leg, gaining the advantage.
Returning to their home ground at Rajamangala Stadium, with more than 13,000 Thai fans cheering from the stands,
Bangkok United conceded an early goal and struggled against the strong Japanese side throughout the match.
They allowed two more goals and suffered a heavy home defeat as expected.
We must acknowledge the high standard of J-League clubs.
No matter the circumstances, they remain the “Tale of Asia” that we find hard to surpass.
This is experience that True Bangkok United and all our domestic teams should learn from extensively.
To advance toward becoming a “top-level” team in Asia in the future.
One thing we should be proud of in Coach Ban Thachathorn Sripan’s and club president Big Kajorn Jeerawannont’s management,
is their policy of relying on Thai players as the core strength in this Asian club competition season.
From the group stage through to the East Zone final, as we have witnessed.
They received praise from neighboring ASEAN media in Vietnam and Indonesia,
who applauded the strong commitment of this Thai club.
Even in the decisive match against Gamba, the “Kaeo” team started with seven Thai players on the field.
Coach Ban shared his thoughts after the game,
saying he does not regret prioritizing Thai players in the Asian club competition at all.
Because it provides experience for Thai players to face teams of this caliber,
giving them lessons and inspiration to push themselves to reach that level.
In terms of playing standards, attitude, and intensity at a high level.
Handling games like this is quite challenging without adequate preparation and training.
Coach Ban also expressed pride in his team’s achievement reaching this stage, despite feeling a little regretful.
He told his players not to be sad but admitted they felt regret because they had hoped for more at this level.
He praised every player for performing to the best of their ability.
The team reached this stage through their effort and full commitment.
Everything that happened is truly a gain for all of us.
And this is the flavor of football that everyone experiences together—joy, sorrow, fulfillment, and disappointment mixed.
But the disappointment of the “Kaeo” players this time
still brings pride in being “Thai football.”
Allowing us all to hold our heads high.
- Bee Bangpakong -