BIARPUN diletakkan dalam kelompok yang mencabar, skuad bolasepak Thailand yakin mampu terus menguasai pentas bolasepak Sukan SEA, kata ketua jurulatih Woorawut Srimakha sejurus tiba dengan anak buahnya di Kuala Lumpur pada Sabtu (12 Ogos).
Woorawut berkata skuad Thailand hadir dengan satu misi – iaitu memburu kemenangan dan membawa pulang emas ke Bangkok buat kali ke-16.
Sebagaimana Malaysia yakin terhadap kemampuan mereka, kami juga percaya dapat meraih kejayaan di KL2017. Biarpun hanya seminggu menjalani latihan intensif, kami yakin,” kata Woorawut.
Thailand ?meraih emas sebanyak 15 kali, empat perak dan lima pingat gangsa sejak 1969. Diundi dalam Kumpulan B, skuad Gajah Putih itu bakal berdepan Vietnam, Indonesia, Kampuche, Timor Leste dan Filipina manakala juara enam kali dan tuan rumah Malaysia bersama Myanmar, Singapura, Laos dan Brunei dalam Kumpulan A.
Thailand berdepan Indonesia pada perlawanan pertama 15 Ogos ini di Stadium Shah Alam Stadium (4 ptg) sebelum menentangTimor Leste (17 Ogos), Kampuchea ( 20 Ogos), Filipina (22 Ogos) dan Vietnam pada 24 Ogos di Staidum Selayang.
CONFIDENT THAIS GOING FOR 16th FOOTBALL TITLE
FLAMBOYANT Thailand head coach Worrawoot Srimakha believes they
will retain the gold medal in the Kuala Lumpur 2017 football competition, saying that the team arrived in Kuala Lumpur with only one mission – to return with the gold medal.
“Just as Malaysia has placed great hopes, I believe we too have the capability to emulate our feats in previous SEA Games,” said Worrawoot Srimakha, a former striker with the Thai national team.
“We had just a week of centralised training before coming here. Nevertheless, we have always been respectful of our brand of football and our game. The players are motivated to keep the momentum going,” he said, adding that he has respects for other teams and believes they are equally prepared for the KL2017 challenge.
The Thais have won the SEA Games football gold medal 15 times, silver four times and bronze five times since 1969. Drawn in Group B, the Thais have for company Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Timor Leste and the Philippines while six-time champions and host Malaysia are in Group A with Myanmar, Singapore, Laos and Brunei.
Fans will be looking forward to Thailand’s first match against Indonesia on August 15 at Shah Alam Stadium (4pm) before meeting Timor Leste (Aug 17), Cambodia (Aug 20), Philippines (Aug 22) before wrapping the preliminary round fixtures against Vietnam on Aug 24 at the Selayang Stadium.
