Caretaker coach Sirisak Yodyardthai has emerged as the front-runner to take over the helm of the War Elephants on a full-time basis after the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
The Thais made it to the knockout stages of the Asian championship for the first time in almost five decades with a 1-1 draw against the hosts on Monday.
Thitiphan Puangjan scored for the War Elephants to cancel out the UAE's early strike.
Witthaya Laohakul, technical chief of the Football Association of Thailand (FAT), said yesterday that Sirisak had a good chance of getting the national team coaching job on a permanent basis.
Thailand had a nightmarish start to their Asian Cup campaign, suffering a 4-1 loss to India last week.
The result prompted FAT president Somyot Poompunmuang to sack the War Elephants' Serbian coach Milovan Rajevac and appoint Sirisak as interim boss a few hours after the match
The Thais rebounded well after the setback and defeated Bahrain 1-0 to revive their bid for a place in the second phase of the tournament.
The draw against the UAE coupled with India's 1-0 loss to Bahrain in the last round of Group A matches assured Thailand of the second place in their pool and a last-16 stage berth.
Thailand are now scheduled to play either South Korea or China at Abu Dhabi's Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on Sunday.
Witthaya said the FAT has its own criteria to select a head coach, but Sirisak will be the front-runner for the job.
"After the FAT president fired Milovan Rajevac, the Thai team regrouped in a commendable manner," said Witthaya.
"The team were very impressive in their last two group matches. By claiming four points from two teams that are ranked higher than us shows that Thai coaches are second to none."
Witthaya added: "Having a Thai as the head coach of the national squad can offer a host of additional advantages.
"It is very important that the coach and players understand each other very well. It can help the players develop a better understanding of the tactics. I will voice my support for a Thai coach. I believe...
Meanwhile, defender Adison Promrak, who performed solidly against Bahrain and the UAE, is feeling "disappointed" that he will miss Thailand's last-16 round game through suspension.
Defensive midfielder Tanaboon Kesarat is likely to drop back and take over the 25-year-old defender's place in the team.
"I am very disappointed that I cannot play in the next match after picking up the second yellow card on Monday. I am sure that my teammates will make an extra effort in the next game," said Adison.
Source: www.Bangkokpost.com
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