FAT to name national coach this week

Former Olympique Lyon coach Alain Perrin was the last applicant to be interviewed for the post on Monday. The experienced trainer met Somyot at the Thai FA headquarters on the last day set by the association to find a successor to Kiatisak Senamuang, who left abruptly at the end of last month.

The former national striker paid the price for the team’s poor campaign in the ongoing last-12 team round of Asian World Cup qualifying.

The 60-year-old Frenchman was the latest foreign coach to throw his name in the hat after the likes of German veteran Wilfried Schaefer and former Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant Rene Meulensteen.

“We’ll not waste any time as it could affect the team. I told coach Heng [Withaya Laohakul, the technical director] that we should come to a conclusion quickly. However, I don’t want to rush things up.

“I want to give him freedom in the interest of the team. He’s a person who works quickly. So, once we decide, I will invite that person to talk about the contract. We’ll make the announcement when we get it all done.”

The Thai FA boss said the new coach will be picked from the final list of three to four candidates.

“Coach Heng has trimmed it down to three to four candidates. He will take into account the pros and cons of each of them as well as the salary and the length of the contract.

“We want to make it fair for him [the new coach]. I want to make sure neither party is at a disadvantage,” said Somyot.