Can Thai footballers go the extra mile?

The “last hurdle” is filled with daunting names. South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, China and Qatar are among them. In fact, most of the 11 teams standing between Thailand and a historic berth in the World Cup finals are the kind of opponents that we would happily settle for draws with. Beating them was unthinkable a few years ago, but not unimaginable now.
Despite the obvious improvement of the Thai national team under head coach Kiatisuk Senamuang, the last qualifying round for the World Cup final tournament in Russia in 2018 presents the same old challenges. Our rivals are bigger physically and better technically. Many have far more experience on major stages, and some of them have already featured in past World Cup finals. The “War Elephants”, as the Thai players are called, now want to prove that they, too, can count themselves among the regional elite. Topping their group, undefeated, in the newly ended preliminary qualifying round has attracted some international attention, but the next stage is a totally different ball game.
Thai football fans are not unacquainted with high hopes coming crashing down. In early 2000s, the War Elephants were similarly poised to make the grade, but then it all went downhill. This time, however, the high expectations stem from factors that did not exist in the 2000s. The Thai Premier League has virtually become the best in Southeast Asia, attracting good foreign players and providing inspiration for young local talent. The national team have cemented their Southeast Asian supremacy with one key victory after another, a situation somewhat different to a decade or so earlier, when the likes of Vietnam and Singapore threatened to take away the crown and keep it permanently for themselves. In short, key elements for a big upgrade are falling into place. The country’s “football passion” used to focus on “following” and not “playing”, but that seems to be changing. The Thai league is allowing rural talent to be uncovered and the influx of foreign players is keeping those already shining on the field down-to-earth. There are more choices than ever for the national team, with most of them being real “qualifiers”.  The increasing popularity of the Thai Premier League and always-active social media provide an effective magnifying glass, one that can be used to screen local boys for the world stage. This is unlike the past, when the power to select national players belonged to just a few “big bosses”. The term “Dek Sens”, or players selected for the national team because of their privileges or connections, is being heard less and less, because poor picks can be exposed overnight.
Yet the national team can still falter at the last hurdle. Most football pundits believe they will, in fact. But another failure won’t be the end of the world.
What’s more important is a collective belief that the country is on the right track in its football development, and all-out efforts by all concerned to keep the ghosts of the past at bay. The Thai Premier League is still threatened by corruption scandals, some of which can turn off youngsters who are the foundation of Thailand’s progress when it comes to the world’s most popular sport.  Ugly politics is still seen among facilitators, regulators and “contributors”, all of them adults and most of them not even footballers.
Fuelling the football fever properly is all we should do. Success or failure in this regard will determine if the World Cup dream has grown nearer or remains very remote.