Kiatisuk when he led the Thai team to win the AFF Cup 2016. Photo:AFF.

Thailand suffered a 1-4 defeat to India in their opening match of Group A of the 2019 Asian Cup on the evening of January 6. The Thai team ended the first half with a score of 1-1 thanks to Dangda's equalizer, but the South Asian representative scored three more goals in the second half.

The disappointing result has led many Thai fans to demand the return of legend Kiatisuk Senamuang to replace Milovan Rajevac. Many have visited the pageInstagramKiatisuk's post to express his wishes caused a sudden increase in comments. Some even suggested that Kiatisuk take the position of President of the Football Association of Thailand.

Appeals from Thai fans on Kiatisuk's latest post.

Kiatisuk is associated with the success of Thai football. As a player, he won the AFF Cup three times, won the SEA Games gold medal four times and finished fourth in the Asian Games twice. When he switched to coaching, "Thai Zico" led his home team to win the AFF Cup twice, won the SEA Games gold medal once and finished fourth in the 2014 Asian Games once. In addition, he also led Thailand to the final qualifying round for the 2018 World Cup.

Not only achieving success in terms of achievements, Kiatisuk is also considered the person who nurtured and trained the current generation of Thai players. This is an important factor that helped Thailand achieve success during the period he led the U23 team and the national team.

Thailand’s chances of progressing to the next round of the Asian Cup are becoming very slim. The heavy defeat not only left them bottom of Group A after the first round, but also behind on goal difference - which is important considering the third-placed team has a good record. Thailand’s two remaining opponents are considered stronger than India: Bahrain and the host UAE.