Ratchaburi FC Chief Defends Thai Football Against Foreign Coach Criticism
Ratchaburi FC's chairman defended Thai football against a foreign coach's criticism of the sport's development, citing recent victories over Vietnamese teams in continental and domestic competitions.
Thanawat Nitikajon, chairman of Ratchaburi FC, posted on Facebook to respond to a foreign coach's criticism that Thai football is underdeveloped and consistently loses to Vietnam. He argued that Thai football should not be undervalued due to emotional control issues.
In his post, Thanawat noted that Ratchaburi finished fourth in the Thai League last year and knocked out Nam Dinh, the Vietnamese champions, from the AFC Champions League 2 group stage. He also highlighted that Buriram won the Shopee Cup final against a Vietnamese team for two consecutive years, and this does not even include larger Thai clubs like BG United Rattanaburi. He concluded by saying Thai football should not be demeaned and added the remark: "Before blaming yourself, blame others first."
The post is believed to target Park Hang-seo, a South Korean manager at Phang Nga FC in Thai League 2. Park recently criticized the referee following a 1-1 draw with Nakhon Pathom on September 16, saying: "Referee, I now understand why Thailand constantly loses to Vietnam. This is exactly the problem, and it may be why Thai football cannot go far."
