Thailand sacked Serbian coach Rajevac after 4-1 loss to India
AFC Asian Cup 2019: Milovan
Rajevac was sacked after Thailand's 1-4 loss to India in the AFC Asian Cup UAE
2019 Group A match played at Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
After an evenly
contested first-half (1-1), Thailand switched off in the second period as India
went on a rampage, scoring three more goals.
In the wake of
humiliating defeat, the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) relieved their
Serbian coach and staff members from their duties. The FAT president, Somyot
Poompanmoung, said in a statement that it was a 'difficult night' for everyone
associated with Thailand football.
"Football
Association of Thailand has fully supported the team preparations in all
aspects. But the result of the competition is not what is expected from the
national team.
"I, like Thai
football fans, am disappointed with the result. As the president of the
association, I can't stand still with this problem. In this regard, I would
like to announce the end of the contract of head coach Milovan Rajevac and some
staff members.
"I announce
appointment of Sirisak Yotkhakthai to perform the duties of the team with
Choketawee Promrut, the assistant coach, for the next match of the AFC Asian
Cup 2019 with immediate effect."
Meanwhile, in the
post-match press conference, Rajevac was looking forward to next encounters
against Bahrain and the UAE, and hoping to take Thailand to the knockout stage.
"We didn't
underestimate India. We didn't have response to the aggressive style of play
from India," he told reporters.
"It was a bad day.
We couldn't perform the way we wanted. But this is just one match and there are
still two more to be played. We have to learn from the mistakes and return
stronger, take points and of course qualify to the next stage. I am still
positive about it. We still have an opportunity. We have to improve a lot,
football is not just about the technique but we have to be more aggressive and
we have to play to get a result and not just play a beautiful football,"
Rajevac said in what turned out to be his final words as the Thailand coach.
The Serbian was
appointed as coach in April 2017 and his contract was extended till 2020.
During his tenure, Thailand had won the 2017 King's Cup and finished runner-up
in last year's edition. They also lost out to Malaysia in the 2018 AFF
Championship semifinals.
Thailand play Bahrain at
Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai on Thursday.