Kiatisuk opens up about his work in the Thai national team

The Thai football legend mentioned Vietnam, Mr. Duc as well as his worries, pressures and aspirations to reach new heights as head coach of the Thai national team in a recent interview on PPTV channel.

- The President of the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) Somyot Poompanmuang said that they will decide on the contract with him in 2017, and then ask the fans if they want Thailand to reach the Asian level or just stop here. What do you think about this action?

- I don't think that the AFF Cup 2016 has just ended but there is already so much information related to the contract issue. Somyot must be joking, he probably doesn't understand why the press is asking about this issue so much. The FAT President is probably still preparing a celebration for the team, thanking the media, thanking the sponsors, thanking the departments that support the team. Winning the AFF Cup seems simple, but in fact it is not. To lift this Cup for the fifth time, my players also had to "sweat and cry". However, when we succeeded, a part of public opinion created more problems that made the President and myself worried.

- What are your wishes for the future with the Thai team?

- I definitely want to renew my contract. Who doesn't want to work for the national team?

- What do you think about the information that FAT contacted Argentine or Spanish coaches?

- It's normal. Who does the coach of the Thai national team work for? For the late ninth King as well as the tenth King, for the people as well as Thai football fans.

I always tell people that I accept fatigue to get the happy smiles of Thai people. When the team won the AFF Cup recently, more than 60 million Thai people smiled happily. This cannot be bought with money. I myself am not afraid of unemployment because I also have my own company - Sport Hero Company. My working goal is to do my best to develop Thai football.

Under Kiatisuk, Thai football returned to dominate Southeast Asia with consecutive championships at the SEA Games and AFF Cup. Photo: AFF.

- What do you think about going abroad to lead a team?

- Many Thai fans have asked me about this. Fans in Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia who follow my Instagram account have also mentioned it.Vietnamese fans are the ones who ask the most. If I wanted to go to Vietnam to work, I would have gone a long time ago, because my boss - Mr. Duc - is in Vietnam. I also worked there for six years.. But my current goal is to develop Thai football. Specifically, I want to bring the national team to the World Cup, or at least the youth team to the U20 World Cup. This is my personal goal.

- If FAT does not renew the contract, how will you plan your work?

- If I weren't the national team coach, my main job every day would be to take my children to school. This is what my children and family need right now, because I really haven't had time for them lately. I have a company called Sport Hero, so if I quit, I will also spend time working there. For a long time, my wife has been taking care of everything at the company, so she must be very tired.

- What do you think about leading a club?

- This is not the time for me to think about coaching at a club. My goal is further. Working at a club, the fans will only be a few tens of thousands, if it is a famous club in Thailand. But if coaching the national team, the fans will be more than 60 million. Coaching a club, the goal is only for money, but leading the national team is national pride, serving the country.

Kiatisuk and his three daughters. Photo: Instagram.

- How do you evaluate the goal of the Thai team to reach the world level, after reaching the Asian level?

- We have only invested "a few cents", not "one baht", but the team is already in the top 12 in Asia. Is it effective? We need time, and should discuss developing youth football, not thinking about the national team. The main squad of the Thai team are all 23, 24, 25 years old, so they can compete for another four or maybe seven or eight years, and can maintain their form despite the fact that opponents in Southeast Asia all want to beat them.

Now, we should think about sending the Thai youth team to the World Cup finals. But the U16 team is not as good as others at the moment, because they have been eliminated from the Asian Championship. The U19 team is also not as good as Myanmar and Vietnam, because they have participated in the U20 World Cup finals. For the U21 or U22 teams, if they win the SEA Games gold medal, it will be considered "survival", although in fact the Thai team has won two consecutive SEA Games. But if we do not win the SEA Games, we will be surpassed by our opponents with an eight-year gap, from U16 to U23. If we do not prepare the youth team well from now, the gap will double to 16 years. By then, will the current national team still have enough strength to fight?

The 2017 SEA Games will be extremely difficult for the U22 Thailand team. Myanmar used the SEA Games squad at the recent AFF Cup. Cambodia also played impressively in the group stage. Vietnam will use the squad that competed in the U20 World Cup finals. Malaysia is the host so they will definitely be ready. Singapore has the "Young Lions". The Philippines has a formidable squad of naturalized and "African-born" players.

Thailand has many good coaches and players playing in the Thai League, but we have to develop the whole system. If we do not win the SEA Games gold medal or fail in the AFF Cup, or in other words, if the teams in the Southeast Asian region defeat the Thai team, it means that we will no longer have a team that can win the championship.

But that doesn't mean that Thailand has no way out in youth training. I don't have to work alone, there are other coaches. What I want is for Thai coaches to unite and work together. We are attending the AFC Pro-Diploma Course together, but not necessarily with the goal of working abroad. We will also work together in Thailand, supporting each other for the common goal.

If a foreign coach is invited to lead the Thai national team, he or she will need a local assistant. So the Thai coach attending the course is to support the Federation. Therefore, FAT builds a team of Thai coaches for development. So, up to now, I do not see any need to change.

Kiatisuk always mentions the national team with pride and honor. Photo: Instagram.

- What do you think if a foreign coach comes to Thailand at this time with the goal of reaching the World Cup?

- I don't know. Ask the Federation!

- So is the Thai coach capable?

- I don't know. It depends on each person's perspective. I also have foreign coaches like Peter Withe, Peter Reid, Peter Stubbe, Dettmar Cramer... For me, everyone is good, but good must be synonymous with work efficiency. So, has any foreign coach brought the Thai team to the World Cup? So who else should we choose?

- So what about the goal of participating in the Asian Cup?

- I once led the Olympic team to fourth place at the 2014 ASIAD. But at the 2015 Asian Cup, we failed to reach the final round. However, looking at the level of the Thai team when facing strong Asian teams like Saudi Arabia, Japan or Australia, fans can see the current state of Thai football compared to other countries. Do we have exciting matches? Are fans interested in the matches, are they excited? In the past, when the Thai team played against strong teams, did fans care like that? Probably not, because they thought the team would have a hard time surviving. Therefore, the difficulty of the matches has changed. Remember, fans now know how to watch football.

- If you continue to lead the Thai team, how will you apply the knowledge from the AFC Pro-Diploma course to the difficult matches in the final matches of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers?

- Actually, I have prepared for the Thai team to go to the 2019 Asian Cup, although the coaching contract is only signed annually. But I also have to set goals for each year. This year there is the World Cup qualifiers, the Thai team got one point against Australia. We still have five matches, including three return matches against Saudi Arabia, UAE and Iraq at home, as well as two away matches against Japan and Australia. If we invite a foreign coach to take charge of the team, it is okay. The team will still compete. But will there be any new players?

- What pressure and fatigue do you feel due to the speculations about the future of the coaching position?

- I'm not tired! Nowadays, more than 60 million fans see the atmosphere when the team plays. I see how happy they are. Before, I didn't see anyone wearing the team's jersey to the stadium. Before, there were only a few hundred people wearing the team jersey, but now, not only 40,000 or 50,000 people in the stadium, but the whole country is wearing the jersey to cheer for the team. We think that we are trying to create happiness for Thai people, trying to bring smiles to Thai people.

If we go back to zero, no one will blame us. It is difficult to build, but easy to destroy! The Thai team has only won the championship for a few days and there are already rumors and gossip coming to me.

Thai fans have supported the team more since Kiatisuk took over. Photo: AFF.

- Did you ever think that your job would encounter unpredictable times like this?

- I never thought things would turn out like this, because I always work hard and try my best.

But I also think I am lucky, because if I had led the U23 team to be eliminated from the group stage at the 2013 SEA Games, there would be no today. I have also been lucky over the years. I am also the national team coach who is luckier than other coaches because I have been working for the longest time. There were times when I encountered real difficulties but had noble people to help me. So I consider myself lucky.

- What message do you have for Thai players and fans?

- The players need to continue playing for the national team, and the fans need to continue supporting the team. Don't be influenced or react. I'm Thai. My family is also in Thailand, so I'm not going anywhere.

- But if you don't sign the contract, what will happen to you?

- I can work anywhere, I can travel all over the world, because that is the nature of the coaching profession and depends on the employer. If the employer signs a contract with the coach to work somewhere, then I will work there. This is not because I do not love my country. It is not necessary to coach the national team to be patriotic. Not at all. If I do not do it, it is only because they did not hire me. And if they did not hire me, then why should I beg? Do I not have self-respect, confidence, or intelligence that I have to do that? If they decide not to hire me anymore, then I should find another place to work! Right?

- How do you feel about having to answer so many questions about this?

- I am also tired of having to constantly answer the media. But when I finish answering, it will help the fans feel comfortable and relieved. Right now, the team belongs to everyone. The team's success is also everyone's success, not mine alone.

- If you discuss with the FAT President, how will you discuss the new contract term?

- We definitely need to talk about this, about signing a multi-year contract, instead of a year-by-year contract. But I hope we can wait until 2017, okay? Why do you like to pick a fight with me? Why do you like to make me argue with this person or that person? My work on the field is already hard and tiring! The pressure of each match is too great. So why do we need to create more pressure? Every coach has his own limits, so don't overdo it!

Yesterday, I did my homework for the course until almost midnight. Then someone called to report on the rumors until after 12 midnight. I found it quite funny! Through these things, the President and I became closer and loved each other more. This is also very strange! Even the champion team is like this. If we didn’t win, I don’t know what would have happened./.

According to VNE