We need a roadmap to Thailand's debut W Cup

World Cup entry is a key pledge no hopeful can afford to leave out of their manifesto, since the whole country’s dream is to see their players rub shoulders with the stars on the world stage. By simply mentioning this buzzword, the candidate makes himself seem a man of vision.

But as things stand, Thailand have gone nowhere in pursuing their World Cup dream. More worryingly, while the country is at a footballing standstill, our rivals are making leaps forward, leaving what seems to be already a far-fetched prospect for Thais even further away.

That does not mean that Thailand have no chance of making it to the World Cup – our best players certainly have the potential of realising the dream. However, the question is how we make the best use of our football talents. In this regard, we should look no further than Japan, which has transformed itself from a peripheral figure not so long ago into one of the continent’s powerhouses.

Japan has made a major leap over the past three decades from a country that had never reached the Cup finals prior to 1998, into a regular participant in the quadrennial tournament. Japan’s target has moved on from merely securing qualification, to winning the competition. This fact alone shows how far they have come in a relatively short period.

The key feature behind Japan’s success is a combination of well-thought-out strategy and hard work. Sadly, these ingredients are missing for Thai soccer, a gap that has become more glaring during Worawi Makdui’s tenure as Thai FA boss. The 62-year-old announced he would lead Thailand to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but people barely saw little if any concrete measures to help the country achieve that goal. Fans witnessed the same old story unfold as the Thai side once again suffered a premature exit in the qualifiers.

Qualifying for the World Cup is no doubt a tough job, but it is certainly not beyond our reach if we are fully committed, as proved by Buriram United’s remarkable run in the AFC Champions League this season.

Making only their second consecutive appearance in the continent’s premier club competition, Thai FA Cup winners Buriram defied the odds to become the second Thai club to reach the knockout stages before going out with a 3-1 aggregate loss to Iranian champions Esteghlal in the quarter-finals. 

Buriram’s exploits on the continental stage are a testament to the efforts put in by club president Newin Chidchob in building the team to become a major force domestically and internationally. The example teaches us that it is not futile to dream, as long as we keep working hard to achieve that dream.