Thailand U-22 Worrawoot Srimaka expressed his strong hope that his team can successfully defend their football gold medal at next month’s SEA Games in Malaysia.
There have been growing doubts about the ability of Thailand U-22 to win any medal at the 29th SEA Games after their rather underwhelming performance at the AFC U-23 Championship qualification, held by minnows Mongolia as well as Indonesia.
However, coach Worrawoot still believes that his squad can reign their supreme at the regional tournament.
“We have been through such crises in the U-23 event. We have survived and that means there’s nothing to worry. We should be able to win the gold,” the coach said, as quoted by The National Multimedia.
Talking about the unfavorable fixture that will see Thailand play Indonesia, right at their first match on 15 August, Worrawoot said his side had no choice but to be prepared for such eventualities.
“The hosts will try to make everything inconvenient not only for us but also for other teams. So if we are prepared for everything, we should be fine,” the former Thailand international said.
Thailand have been drawn in Group B with Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Timor-Leste.
The Young War Elephants will kick off their campaign against Indonesia on 15 August, play Timor Leste on August 17, Cambodia on August 20, the Philippines on August 22 and Vietnam on August 24. The top two finishers will move into the knock-out stage against their counterparts in Group A.