Coach Ishii breaks silence amid turmoil in Thai football

"Since the day FAT announced the termination of my contract and the coaching staff, I believe many people have been shocked and sad. We only have one biggest goal, which is to bring the Thai team to the 2030 World Cup. That is not only our dream, but also the dream of all Thai football fans," Coach Ishii spoke for the first time after being fired.

"That is why we need to change our attitude (not boycott the team - PV) when Thailand faces Sri Lanka and welcomes Turkmenistan at home. The match on November 13 (friendly against Singapore) is also important," Coach Ishii expressed.

"With every cheer from the fans, the players will take one or two steps forward. I myself also find strong encouragement from that. This is the time for Thai football to unite and move forward. From FAT to the fans, we need to look towards one and seriously aim to develop Thai football further. I hope to see the Thai flag at the World Cup," Coach Ishii declared.

Japanese strategist speaks out amid the chaos of Thai football. After the decision to fire the coach from FAT, the Thai football community "split into 5, 7" to judge the ending that coach Ishii must face. According to Thairath , many Thai fans were upset when coach Ishii was fired and together called for a boycott of the team.

Specifically, a group of fans launched a campaign not to watch the team face Singapore in a friendly match in November. They said that coach Ishii did a good job, leading the team to complete short-term goals, before being coldly fired by FAT.

dfqror7owzulq5fa6rpoec84jnrutzdtnc1qjto9fsvzrculgtduw0fe0ie6da6td1q.jpg — Thai fans went all the way to the headquarters to protest.

Previously, Thairath reported that a person went to the FAT headquarters, holding up a banner to protest against the top agency of Thai football. This fan stated: "Coach Ishii has a 53% winning rate when leading Thailand, helping the team to advance to the 2027 Asian Cup Finals. Why was the decision to fire him made now?

Not only Thai fans, experts and some famous football players of this country have sided with Coach Ishii. They criticized FAT and President Madam Pang personally for suddenly firing Coach Ishii without giving a reason in the early days.

Madam Pang then appeared, saying that coach Ishii was fired because he was no longer suitable for the long-term plan of Thai football. When asked about Mr. Ishii being treated unfairly, the head of FAT affirmed that the Japanese strategist would be compensated for his contract according to regulations.

However, Madam Pang's "inappropriate" comments about Coach Ishii were criticized as contradictory. Before leaving Thailand, Coach Ishii helped the Thai team rise to 96th place - the best achievement of the "War Elephants" in the past 17 years. With the biggest goal of the Thai team currently being to qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup, Coach Ishii and his students did well before everything was abandoned before the last 2 matches.

Coach Ishii revealed that he was summoned to a meeting by FAT, then received the decision to fire him. The firing process happened so quickly that it completely surprised Coach Ishii and the members of the coaching staff.

On the afternoon of October 22nd, the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) appointed Anthony Hudson as the new head coach of the Thai national team. Hudson previously coached BG Pathum United, achieving a win rate of over 58%. He has experience with Thai football and has led teams competing for World Cup qualification spots such as New Zealand, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.

During the media introduction day, the new Thai coach emphasized his goal of bringing the "War Elephants" to the 2030 World Cup.