Madam Pang takes responsibility for Thailand missing out on all 4 football gold medals at SEA Games

During a meeting with the Thai Olympic Committee on Friday, Madam Pang addressed the unprecedented failure to win a single gold on home soil, Mathichon reported. Thailand concluded the tournament with silver medals in men’s football and futsal, and bronze medals in the women’s events.

The 2-3 loss to Vietnam in the men’s final was particularly disappointing, as Thailand fumbled a 2-0 lead.

“First of all, I must apologize to the Olympic Committee for not winning any SEA Games gold medals, especially in men’s football,” Madam Pang said. “I admit it was the federation’s fault for not being able to allow the players to rest and fully focus on the tournament.”

Madam Pang was at Rajamangala Stadium to witness the highly anticipated men’s football final on Dec. 18. She declined extensive interviews after the final whistle, stating only that she was “heartbroken” by the result.

The FAT President explained that because the SEA Games did not fall within the FIFA international break, clubs were not obligated to release players. This forced many players to alternate between club and national duties, leading to exhaustion.

“They were tired when they returned to the national team. Obviously, this affected their performance in extra time in the final, but Vietnam also played well,” she added.

However, Madam Pang highlighted the challenge of balancing the national team’s needs with the interests of the Thai League, which currently holds a high coefficient in Asia, equal to China.

“I’m still in this position because I always have to balance everything,” she said. “Creating a perfect balance between the national team and the Thai League is not easy. We need more discussions with the clubs and we need to be very flexible.”

This scheduling conflict has already impacted the ongoing 2026 U23 Asian Cup, where Thailand had to replace 10 key players after clubs refused to release them.

Madam Pang also addressed the quality of the domestic league, noting that high quotas for foreign players in Thai League 1 may be limiting opportunities for local talent.

Regarding the women’s team, which lost to the Philippines in the semi-finals, she acknowledged a slow transition period.

“I have to admit that in the past 8 years, since I stopped directly managing the women’s national team, we are still using many old players,” she said, adding that players of mixed blood or those based overseas haven’t had much time to train and blend in.

Thailand has historically dominated the region, winning 16 of 34 men’s football golds and 5 of 14 women’s football at the SEA Games. But the men’s football team have not tasted gold since 2017, and the women’s team have been waiting since 2013.