Madame Pang speaks out after Thailand dismisses the head coach

After terminating coach Masatada Ishii, FAT President Madame Pang clarified the cause, affirming that the decision was grounded in expert assessment and focused on the World Cup objective.

The President of the Football Association of Thailand (FAT), Nualphan Lamsam (Madame Pang), officially commented after deciding to end the contract with coach Masatada Ishii, who had led the Thai national team since late 2023.

In a detailed statement, Madame Pang confirmed that Ishii’s dismissal was fully legal and carefully considered based on statistics and technical department evaluations. “Changing a coach is a common practice in world football. The national team’s performance is always the key factor, especially for the men’s team, which is the pride and hope of Thai fans,” she stated.

The FAT leader reiterated that after the 1-2 loss to China in 2023, the association set the goal to advance Thailand to the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, which led to appointing Ishii, then technical director, to replace Mano Polking. However, results fell short of expectations. The 3-1 victory over Singapore on June 11, 2024, left Thailand just one goal short of qualification, which Madame Pang described as “a goal worth four years of waiting.”

Under Ishii’s tenure, the team lost the 2024 AFF Cup title, failed to defend the King’s Cup, and was eliminated early in World Cup qualifiers. FAT decided to terminate the contract and paid 50% of the remaining value as agreed.

Madame Pang mentioned that after consideration, FAT appointed Anthony Hudson, Technical Development Director, as interim head coach. Hudson previously led the USA, New Zealand, and Bahrain teams and is regarded as “well-versed in Thailand’s football system with extensive international experience.”

“National team football is not a laboratory. Each match only lasts 90 minutes to express the trust and passion of the fans,” Madame Pang emphasized, also affirming that all decisions are based on professional criteria and scientific data.

Concluding her message, the first female president of FAT stated she will continue dedicating herself to the development of Thai football and asked fans to give her and the leadership team more time to prove themselves: “This path has both flowers and stones, but I accept everything because of my love for Thai football.”