Thai football’s Iron Ladies set the bar high at Games
WATANYA WONGOPASI and Nualphan Lamsam are dubbed the “Iron Ladies of Thai football”. While Watanya manages the SEA Games men’s team, Nualphan takes care of the women’s squad.
This is the first time in the history of Thai football that its teams have female national managers. As the 29th SEA Games draws near, the two have set the bar high for the teams.
Thailand, who will defend their titles in the men’s and women’s football, would also like to grab gold medals in men’s and women’s futsal and make their journey to Malaysia a memorable one. “Our aim is to defend the gold medal and bring it back as a gift to the Thai people. It’s a mission that we must accomplish,” said Watanya, whose side booked a slot in the next stage of the Asian Football Confederation U-23 competition after finishing second in Group H last week.
Thailand are drawn in Group B along with Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Timor-Leste and the Philippines. The Kingdom will kick off their campaign against Cambodia on August 14, play Indonesia on August 16, Vietnam on August 18, the Philippines on August 21 and Timor on August 24. The top two finishers will move into the knock-out stage against their counterparts in Group A.
Watanya, president of News Network Corporation, named Malaysia and Myanmar as the two strong rivals for the gold medal. While her team had several warm-up matches against Vietnam and Malaysia, they are yet to test their strength against Myanmar, who reached the finals of under-20 World Cup two years ago.
“The current Myanmar players have been training together since they were 19. We have never played against them before but we have sent our staff to gather some information about them,” Watanya said.
Asked whether she was worried about facing hosts Malaysia either in the semi-final or final, Watanya said: “If there’s something that I need to worry about, it’ll perhaps be about some off the pitch incidents or circumstances that are out of my control. I believe the game will be decided over 90 minutes on the field. If our players can stay focused and control their emotions, they can pull it off,” the manager said, recalling that her side had beaten the hosts three times in the Dubai Cup, Nation Cup and in a friendly match. Watanya said her players should stay in peak fitness to play five matches in 10 days during the group stage of the competition.
The women’s side will get a chance to defend their title after a gap of four years – the event was dropped from the 2015 edition in Singapore. For the first time, the women’s football will feature a round-robin format. Apart from Thailand, 2009 champions Vietnam, 2013 bronze medallists Myanmar, Philippines and Malaysia will battle it out for the gold.
“Our goal is to defend the title. But we cannot underestimate Vietnam and Myanmar as they have improved over the years. Even hosts Malaysia can be a threat. We cannot take them lightly. We will carry on with our task and hope to have the support of the fans who will boost our confidence,” Nualphan said.
Thailand have also the men’s and women’s futsal gold in their sights. They have won four times since the sport has been included in the 2007 edition.
Meanwhile, the Sports Reporters and Photographers Association of Thailand expects the country to win 109 gold medals from the 405 on offer at the Games. Thailand won the overall title in Singapore two years ago with a haul of 95 gold.
