Thailand men in 'easy' group
Thailand have landed in what appears to be a "manageable" group in the men's football competition of the forthcoming Asian Games, while the women's team had no such luck after being slotted in the same group as hosts South Korea.
In the preliminary group stages of the men’s under-23 competition, the Thai side, whose best result was a fourth place in the previous three editions of the continent’s multi-sport event in 1990, 1998 and 2002, are in Group E along with Maldives, Timor-Leste and Indonesia.
The Thai team, coached by former national striker Kiatisak “Zico” Senamuang, are expected to secure one of the two qualification spots for the knock-out stages. If Kiatisak’s side do advance to the next round, they are likely to face either North Korea or China from the three-team Group F.
The Thai women’s team, who earlier this year made history by clinching a berth in the World Cup finals in Canada next year, were drawn with hosts South Korea, India and Maldives in Group A. The Koreans beat the Thais 4-0 in the recent Asian Championship in Vietnam, where the latter ended up fifth to secure a place in the World Cup for the first time.
