Thai newspaper mentioned Vietnam team when Japanese coach was suddenly fired

(Dan Tri) - After coach Masatada Ishii was suddenly fired, Thairath newspaper (Thailand) suddenly mentioned the name of the Vietnamese team.

On the afternoon of October 21st, the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) unexpectedly dismissed coach Masatada Ishii. Notably, the Japanese coach had still been in a technical meeting with the FAT that morning. This decision angered Coach Masatada Ishii, who felt the FAT lacked sincerity.

Thairath newspaper suggests that Thailand's defeat in both matches against Vietnam in the 2024 AFF Cup final was one of the reasons for coach Masatada Ishii's dismissal (Photo: Huong Duong).

The Thairath newspaper pointed out seven factors that led to the 1967-born coach losing his job. Surprisingly, they mentioned the Vietnamese national team. The newspaper wrote: “One of the reasons Masatada Ishii lost his job was losing both matches against the Vietnamese national team in the 2024 AFF Cup final and losing the championship to their opponent. Before that, Thailand also suffered its first defeat against the Philippines in 52 years.”

In fact, coach Masatada Ishii's reputation has suffered considerably after the Thai national team failed to defend their two AFF Cup titles in 2020 and 2022. In the past, the "War Elephants" rarely lost to the Vietnamese national team, but in the tournament at the end of last year, they suffered two defeats.

This led to heavy criticism of the Japanese coach. However, the FAT still decided to trust the strategist and aim for a higher level of competition.

The Thairath newspaper also suggested that the Thai national team's defeat in the King's Cup final against Iraq on home soil and their 1-3 loss to Turkmenistan in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers significantly diminished confidence in coach Masatada Ishii.

Coach Masatada Ishii is unpopular with Thai fans as well as the FAT Technical Committee (Photo: FAT).

The newspaper also pointed out several other factors: “Coach Masatada Ishii ignored players in good form and remained loyal to a select group of players, regardless of their lack of playing time at the club level. Furthermore, he failed to create motivation and desire within the team.”

The Japanese coach also ignored advice from the FAT Technical Committee, which included Chanwit Phonchiwin (FAT Vice President) and Piyapong Pue-on (FAT Executive Member). This resulted in him not receiving favorable treatment from the Technical Committee in assessing the situation.

The Football Association of Thailand (FAT) will have to urgently find a new coach for the national team ahead of their match against Sri Lanka on November 18th. Among the candidates, South Korean coaches such as Park Hang Seo and Shin Tae Yong are emerging as strong contenders.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/bao-thai-lan-nhac-toi-tuyen-viet-nam-khi-hlv-nhat-ban-bi-sa-thai-dot-ngot-20251022104401682.htm