Thai pride on the line

National football team coach Kiatisak Senamuang has vowed to return happiness to long-suffering Thai fans by clinching Thailand’s first Asean Championship title in 12 years today in Malaysia.

Success in today’s second leg of the final in Kuala Lumpur would be the country’s first triumph at senior level since they last won the biennial tournament in 2002. That barren run, though, looks likely to come to an end after the three-time champions managed to establish a healthy 2-0 advantage in the first leg at home on Wednesday.

After the first-leg left Thai fans buzzing over a quick-passing style Kiatisak dubbed “tik tok” football, only a dramatic loss of form will prevent Thailand from sealing their fourth title to match Singapore as the tournament’s most successful side.

Having led the national under-23 side to SEA Games success in Myanmar last December and the fourth spot in September’s Asian Games in South Korea, the 41-year-old Kiatisak is confident his charges can end the decade-long wait at the intimidating 100,000-capacity Bukit Jalil Stadium.

“Our target from the beginning has been the title. Against the Malaysians, no matter what happens, we need to bring home the trophy after 12 years for our fans, who have always been behind the team. 

“It’s time to return happiness to all Thais,” said Kiatisak, whose side have already bested Malaysia in the group stage with a win in a five-goal thriller.  

Attending a pre-match press conference for the first time after Malaysian media questioned his decision to skip the official press briefing, Kiatisak urged his players to produce a top performance against opponents they also beat in the final of the inaugural Championship in 1996.

“We want the players to display their full potential and show the crowd the beauty of the game. We hope Malaysia will also play their part in creating an entertaining match. That would help elevate Asean football to top level of continental competition,” said the former national striker, bidding to become the first person to win the tournament as both coach and player. 

Asked by Malaysian media why the majority of the Thai squad – including first-leg scorers Charyl Chappuis and Kroekrit Thawikan – were under 23, Kiatisak explained he wanted to build a team for the future.

“Why did we pick mostly under-23s for this tournament? It’s because we want to build the team for the future – next year we play the SEA Games and Olympic and World Cup qualifiers. 

“Given that we need this group of players for those events, we thought it was better to use them right away. They have done a remarkable job, winning the SEA Games gold and claiming fourth spot in the Asian Games. 

Kiatisak also insisted that the pressure of today’s game would not overwhelm his young charges. 

“The [Bukit Jalil] stadium holds 100,000-plus supporters, but we have no worries about our players suffering stage fright because they all have sufficient experience under their belts.”

In fact, Kiatisak is confident his young squad hold an edge over an ageing Malaysian side in terms of their recovery from the first leg.

“We’ve had only three days to recover from the first leg but I have no concerns. We’re a young side, so we can recover quicker, in contrast to the Malaysia team, which has several ageing players. Moreover, all 22 players in our squad can play in the second leg.”  After achieving their unbeaten run wearing blue kit on the way to the final, Kiatisak shrugged off concerns about his side having to wear red shirts for the first time in the tournament today. 

“I don’t pay much attention to the colour of the shirt. I think we will win no matter what colour we wear. The red colour in our national flag represents the nation and tomorrow we will fight for our country.”