Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul spoke after Thailand U23 lost to Vietnam, missing out on the 2025 SEA Games title.
On 18 December 2025, after Thailand lost 2-3 to Vietnam in extra time in the 2025 SEA Games final, they sadly missed out on their 17th SEA Games gold medal.
In this match, the "War Elephants" took a 2-0 lead in the first half with goals from Yotsakorn Burapha and Seksan Ratri, but then conceded three consecutive goals to be overtaken.
After the game, "Coach Wang" Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul, head coach of Thailand, said, "I apologize to all the fans and the management. Our goal was to win the championship, and I thank the clubs for releasing players to support the national team."
"The problem isn’t caused by anything else; if we lose, it’s my fault. It's a tactical matter, and I accept that today we couldn’t reach our goal of becoming SEA Games champions on home soil."
"It was a momentum shift. We lost Chanapat in the first half and conceded an early goal in the second half. Everyone tried their best to hold on, but due to various factors..."
"The association needs to decide what will happen next. If we can’t bring Thailand the SEA Games championship and fail to meet the target, the future depends on their decision. (Regarding my future) My contract runs only until the Asian Championship in January 2026. After that, it’s unknown."
"I sincerely apologize to the fans for not achieving the goal, as well as the management. Everyone's sole aim was to win the championship."
"We tried to rotate players as much as possible to keep everyone fresh before the final. I must praise everyone's fighting spirit. They fought hard but were physically drained, having to perform both for their clubs and the national team. Vietnam’s players were physically better prepared."
"For the Asian Championship, many key players cannot participate due to club commitments. Most of the players called up will come from the U21 league to replace them. Key players like Siphon Khana Kamyok have to return to their clubs."
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