Teeratep gets late call-up for Kingdom
BANGKOK UNITED’S Teeratep Winothai and Pattaya United’s Peeradon Chamratsamee have been called up to replace Teerasil Dangda and Tristan Do for Thailand in the King’s Cup tournament, which starts on Friday.
National coach Milovan Rajevac had no choice but to fill the vacancies for the two star players, who cited fitness concerns as their reason for skipping the four-team tournament.
The 32-year-old Teeratep, who joined the 25-member squad in training at Kiarti Thanee Country Club yesterday, said he had no hard feelings after being excluded from the World Cup Asian Qualifiers against the United Arab Emirates last month.
“I was a bit surprised to be given this opportunity again since it looked like no striker would be called up for the King’s Cup. How could I say no to a chance to represent my country – I’m really grateful that the coaching team still sees something in me,” said Teeratep. The squad will be trimmed to 23 before the opener against North Korea at 7.30pm on Friday.
“The King’s Cup is a very important tournament for Thais and it’s essential that we keep the trophy at home. I will perform to the best of my abilities. Whether I make the final list or not is up to the coaches to decide,” Teeratep said.
