Thai footballers take note: Phanupong shares the toughness of Park Hang-seo's training at Phonkan FC (Video)
On 22 June 2026, new coach Phanupong Wongsa, former Thailand national team defender and assistant coach of Phonkan FC, shared his firsthand experience working with Park Hang-seo, the new South Korean head coach who surprisingly took over the Thai League 2 club.
Park Hang-seo achieved great success over five years coaching the Vietnam national teams, leading the U23 "Golden Stars" to the Asian runner-up title in 2018, winning SEA Games gold in 2019 and 2021, clinching the 2018 ASEAN Cup, finishing fourth in the 2018 Asian Games, reaching the 2019 Asian Cup quarterfinals, and advancing to the third round of 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
New coach Phanupong Wongsa revealed parts of the grueling training under Park Hang-seo on the Clear Rim Sen program on Thairath Sport, saying, "His training increases intensity and endurance, pushing beyond the limits we can normally handle."
"Normally, we do circuit training with stations—jogging around and ball drills around the field—but after that, Coach Lee Jung-Soo, his assistant, makes us do another 20-30 sets of squats in about three sets."
"He said he wants our players' bodies to raise their limits—from what they could endure at level 1 to level 2, and from 2 to 3. I know my son (Phasawat Wongsa, youth player at FC Seoul) has undergone this kind of training as well."
"He pushes players to endure and fight through all the training. At first, some players get injured or have shoe abrasions, but they are told to keep training. The players’ feedback is positive—they may feel pain or fatigue but try their best. So, he decided to select younger players to fit his system focused on physical strength and stamina."
