14-10-2023 (BANGKOK) Nualphan “Madam Pang” Lamsam, the manager of Thailand’s national football team, issued an apology to Thai football fans after the team’s humiliating 8-0 loss to Georgia during an exhibition FIFA Day football match held at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Tbilisi on Thursday, October 12. This defeat marked the largest victory for any Georgian team, surpassing their previous record of a 7-0 win against Armenia in 1997. For the Thai national team, also known as the “War Elephants,” it was their second biggest defeat, with their most significant loss being a 9-0 rout by England in the 1956 Olympic football tournament.
The loss sparked outrage among fans on social media, with many pointing to management issues that prevented the team from fielding its top-tier players.
In her apology posted on Facebook, Nualphan acknowledged the criticism regarding the management of the Thai national team. She also noted that some football clubs had declined to send their best players for the match.
“This is the saddest day in my 16 years of managing the team,” she lamented. “Like football fans nationwide, I am in tremendous pain seeing our team defeated.”
Nualphan pledged to use the criticism as a lesson to ensure that the Thai team does not suffer such a predicament again. She emphasized that exhibition matches with European teams would be a valuable experience to improve the Thai team in various aspects and promised to dedicate her abilities to making the team stronger.
The national team’s coach, Mano Pölking, explained that the team had aspired to achieve a better outcome but faced significant challenges. He noted that several players were making their national team debuts, and there were numerous new additions to the squad. Despite the disappointing result, he refrained from criticizing his players, recognizing their wholehearted effort.
