Southeast Asian media reports: "Thailand ends the Japanese style of football"

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - Thai football is causing controversy by sacking three Japanese coaches in just three months, leading SEAsia Goal to question the strategic direction and future of football in the land of the golden temples.

Thai football is undergoing a surprising "purge" of Japanese coaches. In just three months, the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) has dismissed three Japanese coaches from the men's, women's, and U23 national teams, sparking controversy and raising questions about the future direction of Thai football.

According to SEAsia Goal, a website specializing in Southeast Asian football, "the Japanese style has ended in Thai football." Specifically, coaches Masatada Ishii of the men's national team, Futoshi Ikeda of the women's national team, and Takayuki Nishigaya of the U23 team have all had their contracts terminated. This move indicates a comprehensive restructuring of the FAT's coaching structure.

Shocking decisions

Coach Ishii was sacked by FAT on October 21 (Photo: Getty).

The decision to dismiss coach Ishii on October 21st, who had only recently led the Thai men's national team and achieved positive results, came as a surprise. The Football Association of Thailand (FAT) explained that the parting was due to "coach Ishii's work and coaching staff's approach, as well as the team building principles, not aligning with the federation's direction."

FAT emphasized that this was not due to the team underperforming, but rather a philosophical incompatibility. This is even more puzzling considering that under coach Ishii, Thailand had shown signs of improvement, including reaching the Round of 16 of the 2023 Asian Cup with an unbeaten group stage record and securing two consecutive victories in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers against Taiwan.

Coach Ishii publicly expressed his bewilderment and anger over the decision. He revealed on social media that the FAT (Football Association of Thailand) unexpectedly announced the termination of his contract after a meeting that was initially supposed to be to "review the two matches against Taiwan." The reason given was "a desire to change the national team's coaching staff for each age group," a reason he could not accept and refused to sign the termination agreement.

Meanwhile, the dismissal of U23 coach Nishigaya in early July was considered more understandable given the team's five consecutive defeats. Similarly, women's national team coach Ikeda was also unable to continue leading the team after two consecutive losses against Vietnam.

FAT has been consistently firing Japanese coaches (Photo: SEAsia Goal).

What does the future hold for Thai football?

SEAsia Goal asks: "Is this the end of the 'Japanese style' that has dominated Thai football for many years? If so, what football philosophy will follow?"

Fans' reactions to these decisions were disappointment and skepticism. Comments on the SEAsia Goal website expressed concern about the development of Southeast Asian football in general and Thai football in particular, with questions such as: "Why isn't Southeast Asian football developing?", "Fans are extremely saddened", "The Southeast Asian region has too many problems" and "The Football Association of Thailand is starting to decline".

The sudden change in the entire Japanese coaching staff by the FAT, especially when some coaches were achieving good results, is raising many questions about the stability and strategic direction of Thai football in the future.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/bao-dong-nam-a-thai-lan-ket-thuc-phong-cach-bong-da-nhat-ban-20251024204204703.htm