Madam Pang makes surprising decision about women's team coach, aiming for 'double championship'

Madam Pang (billionaire Nualphan Lamsam), President of FAT, has just made a surprising decision to give Japanese coach Futoshi Ikeda another chance to lead the Thai women's team, but she must win the Southeast Asian championship and the 33rd SEA Games.

Madam Pang puts her number 1 interest in rebuilding the Thai women's team

After the big shock of being eliminated from the Asian championship (Asian Cup 2026) early ended the ambition to find a ticket to the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. On July 7, Madam Pang, President of the Football Association of Thailand (FAT), held a meeting to find a solution to rebuild the country's women's team. In particular, the main issue was whether to retain coach Futoshi Ikeda or not, under pressure from Thai fans when reacting strongly to the team's poor results.

Madam Pang (center), President of FAT, sets the goal of the Thai women's team winning the upcoming Southeast Asian tournament held in Vietnam in August.

Photo: Independence

Madam Pang said: "Coach Futoshi Ikeda is very disappointed and ready to resign. However, after talking, he wants to have more opportunities to correct his mistakes. We have considered the solution of inviting back coach Nuengrutai Srathongvian, who helped the Thai women's football team participate in the World Cup before.

However, after consideration, we believe that this is not the right time. We will create more opportunities for coach Futoshi Ikeda to lead the Thai women's team in the two upcoming important tournaments, the Southeast Asian Championship and the 33rd SEA Games. Moreover, there is not much time left for these two tournaments, only in the next 4 months. Therefore, changing the coach at this time is clearly not really suitable."

Retaining coach Futoshi Ikeda, who helped the Japanese women's team reach the quarterfinals of the 2023 Women's World Cup, Madam Pang also set a condition that this coach must help Chaba Kaew (nickname of the Thai women's team) win the Southeast Asian championship next August and win the 33rd SEA Games gold medal at home at the end of the year.

In both tournaments, the Thai women's team will face the Vietnamese women's team. Including, at the 2025 Southeast Asian Women's Championship taking place in Vietnam at Viet Tri and Hai Phong stadiums from August 6 to 19. The Thai women's team and host Vietnam are in Group A, along with the Indonesian and Cambodian women's teams. Group B is the Philippines, Australia, Myanmar and Timor Leste. The top two teams in each group will advance to the semi-finals and compete for the championship.

At the end of the year (from December 9 to 20) which was the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand, Madam Pang also determined that the Thai women's team must win back the gold medal in women's football, after 4 consecutive recent SEA Games witnessed the complete domination of the Vietnamese women's team.

"I will pay more attention to women's football. Of course, both the men's team and the youth team will participate in the SEA Games. But women's football will take up a greater interest from now on. We aim to improve and upgrade the Thai women's team, determined to regain its inherent class.

I have talked to many veteran female players who participated in the World Cup, they said that they are ready to return in any role to help Thai women's football find themselves again. I believe this determination will help Thai women's football gradually revive," Madam Pang emphasized.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/madam-pang-quyet-dinh-bat-ngo-ve-hlv-doi-tuyen-nu-dat-muc-tieu-vo-dich-kep-185250708093442394.htm