Kiatisuk opens up about his job with the Thai national team.

In a recent interview on PPTV, Thai football legend Duc mentioned Vietnam, as well as the challenges, pressures, and aspirations he faces as head coach of the Thai national team.

- The President of the Football Association of Thailand (FAT), Somyot Poompanmuang, said that a decision on his contract would only be made in 2017, and then asked the fans whether they wanted Thailand to reach the Asian level or simply remain at this point. What are your thoughts on this action?

- I didn't think that with the 2016 AFF Cup just ending, there would already be so much information related to contract issues. Somyot must be joking; he probably doesn't understand why the press is asking so many questions about this. The FAT President is probably still preparing a celebration for the team, thanking the media, expressing gratitude to sponsors, and thanking all the departments that supported the team. Winning the AFF Cup seems simple, but it's not. To lift this trophy for the fifth time, my players also had to "sweat and shed tears." Yet, after achieving success, a segment of the public is creating more issues that are causing concern for the President and myself.

- What are your hopes for the future with the Thai national team?

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

- What are your thoughts on the news that FAT has contacted coaches from Argentina or Spain?

- That's normal. Who does the coach of the Thai national team work for? For the late King Ninth as well as the King Tenth, for the people as well as the football fans of Thailand.

I always tell people that I accept the fatigue in order to bring happiness to the Thai people. When the national team won the recent AFF Cup, over 60 million Thais smiled with joy. This is something no amount of money can buy. I myself am not afraid of unemployment because I also have my own company - Sport Hero. My goal is to do my best to develop Thai football.

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

- What are your thoughts on leading a team abroad?

- 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 questions. If I wanted to work in Vietnam, 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 lead the national team to the World Cup, or at least have the youth team participate in the U20 World Cup. This is my personal goal.

- If FAT doesn't renew your contract, how will you plan your work?

- If I weren't the national team coach, my main job every day would be taking my children to and from school. This is what my children and family need right now, because honestly, I haven't had time for them lately. I have my own company, Sport Hero, so if I quit, I would also dedicate my time to that. My wife has been handling everything at the company for a long time, so she must be very tired.

- What are your thoughts on managing a club?

- This isn't the time for me to think about coaching at a club. My goals are much more ambitious. Working for a club means only tens of thousands of fans, if it's a famous club in Thailand. But coaching the national team means over 60 million fans. Club coaching is only about money, while leading the national team is about national pride and serving the country.

Kiatisuk and his three daughters. Photo: Instagram.

- How do you assess the Thai national team's goal of reaching world-class status, after having already achieved Asian-level success?

- We've only invested "a few cents," not even "a baht," yet the national team is already in the top 12 in Asia. So, is that effective? We need time, and we should focus on developing youth football rather than rushing into the national team. The main squad of the Thai national team are all 23, 24, and 25 years old, so they can play for another four or five years, or even seven or eight years, and can maintain their form despite the fact that their Southeast Asian rivals all want to beat them.

Now, we should be thinking about getting the Thai youth team to the World Cup finals. But the current U16 team isn't as good as theirs, having been eliminated from the Asian Championship. The U19 team isn't as good as Myanmar and Vietnam either, as they've already qualified for the U20 World Cup. For the U21 or U22 teams, winning a SEA Games gold medal would be a sure way to "survive," even though Thailand has already won two consecutive SEA Games. But if we don't win the SEA Games, we'll be overtaken by our rivals by eight years, from U16 to U23. If we don't prepare our youth teams well now, that gap will double to 16 years. By then, will the current national team still be strong enough to compete?

The 2017 SEA Games will be extremely challenging for the Thai U22 team. Myanmar used the same squad that competed in 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, as the host nation, will certainly be well-prepared. Singapore has a formidable "Young Lions" squad. The Philippines possesses a strong lineup of naturalized and Filipino-American players.

Thailand has many good coaches and players competing in the Thai League, but we need to develop the entire system. If we don't win the SEA Games gold medal or fail in the AFF Cup, or in other words, if any team in Southeast Asia can beat Thailand, then we will essentially have no team left that can win the championship.

But that doesn't mean Thailand has no way forward in youth development. I'm not working alone; there are other coaches as well. What I hope for is that Thai coaches 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 towards a common goal.

If a foreign coach is brought in to manage the Thai national team, that person will also need local assistants. So, the Thai coach attending the training course is to support the Federation. Therefore, FAT is building a team of Thai coaches for development. So, at this point, I don't see anything that needs to be changed.

Kiatisuk always speaks of the national team with pride and admiration. Photo: Instagram.

- What would you say if a foreign coach came to Thailand right now with the goal of reaching the World Cup?

- I don't know. Ask the Federation!

So, does the Thai coach have the necessary skills?

- I don't know. It depends on each person's perspective. I've had foreign coaches like Peter Withe, Peter Reid, Peter Stubbe, Dettmar Cramer... In my opinion, they're all good, but being good must be synonymous with effectiveness. So, have any foreign coaches ever led the Thai national team to the World Cup? Who else would we choose?

So what about the goal of qualifying for the Asian Cup?

- I led the Olympic team to a fourth-place finish at the 2014 Asian Games. But at the 2015 Asian Cup, we didn't make it to the finals. However, looking at the level of the Thai national team when facing strong Asian teams like Saudi Arabia, Japan, or Australia, fans can see the reality of Thai football compared to other countries today. Are our matches exciting? Do fans care about the game, do they feel the suspense? In the past, when the Thai national team played against strong teams, did fans care as much? Probably not, because they thought the team would struggle to survive. Therefore, the difficulty level of the matches has changed. Remember, fans now know how to watch football.

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

- Actually, I've been preparing the Thai national team for the 2019 Asian Cup, even though my coaching contract is only signed annually. But I still have to set goals for each year. This year there's the World Cup qualifiers, and the Thai team got one point against Australia. We still have five matches left, including three return matches against Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Iraq at home, as well as two away matches against Japan and Australia. If we hire a foreign coach, that's fine too. The team will still compete. But will there be any new players?

- What kind of pressure and fatigue did he experience due to speculation about his future as head coach?

- I'm not tired at all! Currently, over 60 million fans can see the atmosphere when the team plays. I can see how happy they are. Before, I didn't see anyone wearing the national team jersey to the stadium. Previously, only a few hundred people wore them when the team played, but now it's not just 40,000 or 50,000 people in the stadium, but the whole country is wearing them to cheer for the team. We think we're trying to create happiness for the Thai people, trying to bring smiles to their faces.

If we start from scratch, nobody will blame us. Building is hard, but destroying is easy! The Thai team only won the championship a few days ago, and already there's been so much public discussion and rumors flooding my attention.

Thai fans have shown more support for the national team since Kiatisuk took over. Photo: AFF.

- Did you ever think your job would ever face such unpredictable situations?

- I never thought things would turn out this way, because I've always worked hard and tried my best.

But I also think I'm lucky, because if I had led the U23 team to be eliminated from the group stage at the 2013 SEA Games, I wouldn't be where I am today. I've also been lucky over the years. I'm also the national team coach who's been luckier than other coaches because I've been working the longest. There have been times when I've faced real difficulties, but I've always had benefactors to help me. So I consider myself lucky.

- What message would you like to convey to the 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 in any way. I am Thai. My family is also in Thailand, so I'm not going anywhere.

But what will happen to him if he doesn't sign the contract?

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

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

- I'm also tired of constantly answering media questions. But once I've finished answering, it helps the fans feel more relaxed and at ease. Right now, the team belongs to everyone. The team's success is everyone's success, not just mine personally.

- If you were to discuss the new contract term with the FAT President, what would you say?

- We definitely need to discuss this, about signing a multi-year contract instead of a year-by-year one. But I hope we can postpone it until 2017, okay? Why do you like to pick fights with me? Why do you like to make me argue with this person and that person? I'm already exhausted from working on the field! The pressure of each match is already immense. So why add more pressure? Every coach has their limits, so don't overdo it!

Yesterday I worked on my coursework until almost midnight. Then someone called to report on various rumors until after midnight. I found it quite funny! These incidents have brought me and the Chairman closer, and made us love each other more. It's really strange! Even the championship team is like this. I wonder what it would be like if we weren't champions./.

According to VNE