Coach Masatada Ishii leads Thai club, preparing to face Coach Polking

(Dan Tri) - Not long after being fired from the position of head coach of the Thai national team, coach Masatada Ishii suddenly accepted to lead BG Pathum United Club in the Thai-League.

Thai media reported this afternoon (October 30th) that coach Masatada Ishii has accepted the offer to lead BG Pathum United. This decision was made by Mr. Ishii just days after the Japanese coach was sacked from his position as head coach of the Thai national team.

Coach Masatada Ishii leads BG Pathum United Club (Photo: BG Pathum United).

Notably, BG Pathum United is the opponent of Hanoi Police FC (CAHN) in the 2025-2026 Southeast Asian Champions League.

This means that coach Masatada Ishii will soon be facing coach Mano Polking, who is currently managing CAHN FC. Both coaches have led the Thai national team at different times.

Coach Masatada Ishii has experience working with Thai football. He previously coached Samut Prakan City FC in 2019. Then, from 2021 to 2023, the Japanese coach managed Buriram United.

Previously, coach Masatada Ishii won the J-League title with Kashima Antlers (Japan) in 2016. In the same year, Ishii also finished as runner-up in the FIFA Club World Cup, also with Kashima Antlers.

Coach Ishii led the Thai national team from 2023. However, after the Thai team lost to Vietnam in the 2024 AFF Cup final, his reputation with the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) significantly declined. On October 16th, the FAT decided to dismiss Coach Ishii.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/hlv-masatada-ishii-dan-dat-clb-thai-lan-chuan-bi-cham-tran-hlv-polking-20251030135901398.htm