Nualphan resigns after country's exit
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Thailand women's football team manager Nualphan Lamsam announced her resignation upon her arrival yesterday following the team's elimination from the Olympic second qualifying round in Mandalay, Myanmar.
The Thai women crashed out following their 2-0 loss to old rivals Vietnam in their final match of the roundrobin stage on Tuesday. Coach Nuengruethai Sathongwieng immediately announced her decision to resign from the national post after the match, while Nualphan remained noncommittal as to whether to continue in her role.
However, Nualphan told reporters at a conference held at Don Muang airport shortly after the team’s arrival from Myanmar yesterday that she decided to quit, citing her health as the main reason behind her resignation.
While confirming that there was no rift between herself and anyone at the Football Association of Thailand, the 49-year-old Nualphan voiced her concerns about the plight of the national team players, many of whom are only amateur players.
“They [the girls] are still in shock as when they learnt about my decision. But, I’ll continue looking after them. If there is no tournament, the players would not earn any money and many of them have burden of taking care of their families.
“I’m really concerned with the future of these players, especially those aged 27-28 who should have a permanent job,” said Nualphan, who helped the country reach their first ever World Cup finals in Canada earlier this year.
