Thailand U17 (in blue) continues to disappoint at the Asian tournament - Photo: FAT
In the early hours of May 10th (Vietnam time), the Thailand U17 team had to bid farewell to their World Cup dream after a 0-2 defeat against host Saudi Arabia in the second match of Group A.
This defeat, coupled with Tajikistan U17's victory over Myanmar, leaves Thailand stuck in third place in the group. They and Myanmar are both without points, and are now six points behind the top two. Their final match against Myanmar will only be for pride.
"Has the U17 Thailand team fielded their strongest lineup yet? Why, after two matches, have coach Marco Gockel and the federation leaders still not shown the team's strongest squad?", a Thai fan sarcastically commented on Pantip.
This wave of sarcastic public opinion emerged after the defeat against Tajikistan in the opening match. Many Thai fans criticized coach Gockel as well as the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) for their preparation before the tournament.
A few weeks before the AFC U17 Championship, the Southeast Asian U17 Championship took place. In sequence, this tournament is considered a suitable warm-up for Southeast Asian teams participating in the Asian Championship.
Thailand performed terribly in this tournament, even losing to Laos and suffering a shocking elimination in the group stage. At that time, the FAT announced that "this is only Thailand's U16 team; the real U17 team is focusing on preparing for the U17 Asian Championship."
To be fair, this isn't misinformation. In the Southeast Asian U17 Championship, the FAT only sent one local coach to lead the team, with the majority of players being 15 years old, while their 16-year-old star players participated in a training camp with Coach Gockel.
But this only makes fans question FAT's strange stance even more.
"Why not send the best team to the Southeast Asian U17 Championship? Wouldn't that help the players prepare better for the Asian tournament? They would get to train and play together for a while," another fan commented on ASEAN Football.
This debate has attracted the attention of many football fans from various countries. Fans from Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia have all expressed surprise at the unusual management style of the FAT (Football Association of Thailand).
From the ASEAN Cup to the SEA Games, the U23 Asian Championship, and the U17 Southeast Asian Championship, Thailand has consistently been in a situation where they "don't have their best squad available".
The explanation often given by the Thai media is "saving energy" for bigger tournaments. But the problem is they consistently perform poorly in major tournaments. The 2026 AFC U17 Championship is a prime example.
"Before winning the big game, you have to win the small game. No game is wasted. I would understand the idea of conserving energy if they had to play two consecutive matches, or two tournaments just a few days apart. But that's not the case here; FAT needs to reconsider its strategy," commented a fan from Indonesia on ASEAN Football.
What started as sarcastic remarks and mockery on social media has gradually fueled a wave of anger among Thai fans towards the FAT (Football Association of Thailand) following Thailand's consecutive failures in various tournaments – from regional to continental levels, U17 to U23, and the national team.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thai-lan-bi-lang-bong-da-cham-choc-vi-thoi-quen-giu-suc-20260509225029377.htm
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