"Piyapong" reveals behind-the-scenes preparations to resign before the Thailand national team’s 2027 Asian Cup journey, hinting he will tell the full story in 5 years (video).
On 2 April 2026 GMT+7, "The Tuck" Piyapong Piew-on, a member of the Football Association of Thailand’s Executive Committee and a legendary former striker of the Thailand national team, revealed the behind-the-scenes details of the 6th match in Group D of the 3rd round qualifiers for the 2027 Asian Cup, in which Thailand narrowly defeated Turkmenistan in a heart-stopping game.
The "War Elephants" took the lead 1-0 with a goal from Suphanat Bureerat in the 14th minute, before Turkmenistan equalized 1-1 in the 60th minute through Taymur Sharipov. Then, in the 89th minute, Manuel Tom Bihr became the hero by heading in the winning goal from a corner kick delivered by Theerathon Bunmathan, securing a 2-1 victory and booking Thailand’s spot in the final tournament of the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.
However, "The Tuck" Piyapong Piew-on admitted he had mentally prepared to resign from the Football Association’s Executive Committee if Thailand failed to qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup finals. He almost took the resignation letter he had prepared from his car while the score was still tied 1-1 until the 80th minute, as Thailand needed a win to progress.
In the YouTube show “Tangmo Long Piyapong Ying,” "The Tuck" said, "At the 80th minute, I went to my car and took out the resignation letter. At that point, with no goal scored, what else could I do but head to the car? I had chills since entering the stadium. Even as a player, I never experienced such intense tension. It was like the game wasn’t even being played, and I was not involved at all."
"I’ll keep the behind-the-scenes story for another 5 years before revealing what it is. Right now, it’s not the right time to share. There’s a backstory I want to keep confidential for now."
"The Tuck" Piyapong concluded by addressing Anthony Hudson, the Thailand national team coach, if he leads the team to the 2027 Asian Cup: "This win exposed many issues that need fixing. We managed to qualify, but the victory highlights the need to improve the entire system and playing style."
"If the team plays like this, it won’t succeed in the Asian Cup. Changes must be made, but how and what to change is the coach’s responsibility. When we analyze, we see this level is insufficient; there are many issues to fix, though I don’t know how many exactly. I believe the person responsible (Anthony Hudson) knows the number of issues."
