Thailand women's volleyball coach: 'We admire Vietnam'

Amidst the noisy controversy after the match with Vietnam, the head coach of the Thai women's volleyball team made a conciliatory statement before leaving for Ninh Binh to attend the second round of SEA V.League 2025.

Coach Kiattipong in the last match - Photo: VAT

A big controversy broke out after the match between the Vietnamese and Thai women's volleyball teams in the first round of SEA V.League 2025 last week.

While Vietnamese fans were angry because of the decisions that were somewhat biased towards the host Thailand, star Pimpichaya Kokram "added fuel to the fire" with a sarcastic comment about Bich Tuyen.

Pimpichaya's move made the hostile atmosphere between Thai and Vietnamese fans even more tense, no less than in football.

In contrast to his student, veteran coach Kiattipong had words of praise for his opponent. He said when answering Thairath TV channel:

"We were lucky to win that game. We saw a lot of weaknesses in the team, and some positives. I have to thank everyone for their efforts.

But most importantly, we have to admire the Vietnamese team. They fought with the highest spirit and helped us improve ourselves."

Coach Kiattiphong Ratchatakriangkrai is 59 years old this year, often called by the familiar name "coach Aod".

Mr. Kiattipong is currently in his second period leading the Thai team. His first period lasted from 1998 to 2016, associated with the explosion of Thai women's volleyball.

He is considered the person with the greatest contribution to bringing Thai women's volleyball to the top level of the continent. After the Thai team showed signs of decline recently, Mr. Kiattipong agreed to return to lead the team from 2024.

More than anyone else, "Coach Aod" himself has clearly seen the development of Vietnamese women's volleyball over the past two decades. The praise from this legendary coach is very valuable to Vietnamese girls.

Talking about the upcoming encounter in the second round of SEA V.League 2025, taking place in Ninh Binh, coach Kiattipong said: "I think the upcoming match will not be easy, but not too difficult. We need to prepare well for the world tournament (taking place from August 22).

The coaching staff has planned to defeat Vietnam again. Blocking will be an important task in the upcoming match."

HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hlv-bong-chuyen-nu-thai-lan-chung-toi-nguong-mo-viet-nam-20250806172825827.htm