Rajevac NEW COACH of Thailand

MILOVAN RAJEVAC is the new coach of the national football team.

The month-long search to find a replacement for Kiatisak Senamuang, who stepped down from the national post last month, came to an end yesterday when Rajevac got the nod ahead of German veteran Wilfried Schaefer and Frenchman Alain Perrin.

Football Association of Thailand technical director Withaya Laohakul said the former Ghana coach was picked because he has a “better backroom staff” than other applicants for the job.

The 63-year-old Serbian will arrive with a staff that includes assistant Zoran Jankovic, a veteran of Bulgaria’s Euro 2004 squad, goalkeeping coach Sasa Todic and physio Nebojsa Stamenkovic. He has been offered a one-year contract with an option to extend that for another year.

“I would like to thank almost 20 coaches from all the world who sent their CVs. We narrowed down the number to eight who were called for interviews.

“We wanted to know how committed they were to develop Thai football and we made the decision based on that. 

“It’s a one-plus-one [year] contract. We were ready to meet the salary requirements of each one of the candidates. But they said money was not an important issue. They all wanted the job because they wanted to prove themselves here in Thailand. It could raise their profiles if they were to be successful.”

AFP reported that the Serbian was preferred to former Brazil coach and World Cup-winning captain Dunga and former Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard because the latter two would have demanded huge salaries for their services.

“Why did we pick Rajevac? His vision, his familiarity with Asian football and, more importantly, a better backroom staff than that of other applicants were the factors that influenced our decision,” said Withaya.

The technical director added that Rajevac’s motivational ability was what marked him out from other candidates.

“Players who play under him fight to the death on the pitch. That shows the coach’s exceptional skills in motivating his team. He not only wants the team to win but also wants to play an attractive brand of football. That’s exactly what we also want.”

Withaya was also quick to allay fears that the language barrier could pose a problem for Rajevac, who oversaw Ghana’s historic run to the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa where they lost to Uruguay in a shoot-out. 

“He hasn’t used the English language for years. We spoke to him in English during the interview and his English was okay. His coaching staff can also speak English so there should be no problem when it comes to football language.

“Football is his life. He’s familiar with Asian football and has a lot of experience,” Withaya said of the Serbian, whose previous jobs in Asia featured brief stints at Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli and with Qatar.

Asked when Rajevac would arrive to sign the contract and start work, Withaya replied: “I can’t say at the moment. Time is a major problem in international football.

“He needs to first find players who will fit into his system of play. I believe he has already done his homework.

“He could spring a few surprises with his first squad. He may pick a few uncapped guys, which is a good way to motivate players to perform well in the football league,” Withaya said.