Coach Park Hang-seo leaves open the possibility of leading Thailand

Coach Park Hang-seo is willing to consider if he receives a reasonable offer to lead the Thai national team - Vietnam's arch-rival in Southeast Asia.

Coach Park Hang-seo talked about this issue in an interview with Thai sports site Think Curve that aired last night, November 17. He admitted that he has not received any offers from the Thai team, but would not refuse if given the opportunity.

"If there are any offers, please send them to my representative," said coach Park Hang-seo. "I am willing to consider them, but they must be approved by my representative before being passed on to me."

Coach Park Hang-seo shakes hands with coach Mano Polking before the first leg of the AFF Cup 2022 final. Vietnam drew 2-2 with Thailand at My Dinh Stadium. Photo: Hieu Luong

Park's representative Lee Dong-jun added: "If the Thai team has an offer, Coach Park is always open, but they must be the first to make the offer. Besides, both sides must agree on philosophy and vision."

When asked if he could take the Thai team to the World Cup if he became head coach, Mr. Park did not answer directly but emphasized that "it is important that both sides get along."

Information about Coach Park Hang-seo and Thailand emerged at the same time that the trust in Coach Mano Polking hit rock bottom, after losing 1-2 to China in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup - Asia region. The slogan "Anyone but Polking" appeared on many sports forums and comments of Thai fans.

Coach Park said goodbye to Vietnamese football after losing to Thailand in the AFF Cup 2022 final, ending 5 years of association. The Korean coach always affirmed that he would never return to lead Vietnam or Korea, but was ready to listen to offers anywhere. One of the criteria given was that the team must meet the recruitment of coaching staff according to Coach Park's wishes.

Coach Park Hang-seo got angry with the attitude of Thailand's assistant goalkeeper under Japanese coach Akira Nishino after the 0-0 draw in the second leg of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, which took place at My Dinh Stadium in November 2019. Photo: Duc Dong

During Park's tenure, Vietnam beat Thailand 1-0 at the 2019 King's Cup. Then, the two teams drew 0-0 after two matches in the second round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. At the 2020 AFF Cup, Vietnam lost 0-2 to Thailand and drew 0-0 in the two semi-final matches. At the 2022 AFF Cup, Vietnam continued to be winless, drawing 2-2 and losing 0-1 in the two final matches.

At the U23 level, Vietnam beat Thailand 2-1 in the 2017 M150 Cup friendly tournament and 4-0 in the 2020 U23 Asian qualifiers. At the SEA Games, Vietnam drew 2-2 with Thailand in the final round of the 2019 group stage and won 1-0 in the 2021 final.

The 64-year-old coach once admitted that Thailand has the highest-class players in Southeast Asia such as midfielder Chanathip Songkrasin and defender Theerathon Bunmathan, but it is difficult to determine whether Vietnam or Thailand is stronger just by looking at the score. He also cannot predict which team will go to the World Cup first, but wants the teams to consider three things: who plans, who executes, and who follows through.

Hieu Luong

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