Thai media recommend South Korean coaches Park Hang-seo, Shin Tae-yong to lead national team

By Trung Thu October 22, 2025 | 03:27 am PT

Thai media have suggested several available coaches with Southeast Asian experience as candidates to replace Masatada Ishii after his surprise dismissal, including former Vietnam coach Park Hang-seo and former Indonesia coach Shin Tae-yong.

Park Hang-seo as Vietnam national team head coach in June 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Hieu Luong

Thairath named Park and Shin, along with Anthony Hudson, the current Football Association of Thailand technical director, as leading candidates. All three are currently available, familiar with the regional football scene and knowledgeable of Thai football.

Hudson, 42, played in England and has held head coach roles with Bahrain (2013–2014), New Zealand (2014–2017) and served briefly as an interim coach of the U.S. in 2023.

Park and Shin have proven their abilities by coaching Vietnam and Indonesia. Both are also considered by Indonesian media as potential candidates to coach the national team after Patrick Kluivert was sacked.

Park earned widespread praise during his time in Vietnam, guiding the country to the 2018 AFF Cup title, two SEA Games gold medals (2019 and 2021), a runner-up finish at the AFC U23 Championship, and progress into the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup.

He has not been coaching since January 2023 and is currently vice president of the Korea Football Association while maintaining ties to Vietnamese football through an academy for kids and being the honorary president of Bac Ninh FC.

Coach Shin Tae-yong and Indonesia national team arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Dec. 13, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Hieu Luong

Shin coached South Korea at the 2018 World Cup and later transformed Indonesian football after arriving in late 2019. Under Shin, Indonesia reached the group stage of the 2023 Asian Cup for the first time, advanced to the semifinals of the U23 Asian Cup and qualified for the third round of 2026 World Cup qualifiers. However, he was sacked in January this year and was replaced by Kluivert, who can communicate better with the Dutch-born players in the national team.

Shin briefly returned to coaching with Ulsan Hyundai but was sacked after 65 days due to poor results and reported tensions with the players.

Thairath also mentioned two domestic coaches as candidates: Sasom Pobprasert of PT Prachuap and Totchtawan Sripan of Bangkok United. Both are respected locally, but their ongoing club commitments could be a problem if one of them is chosen.

The Thailand head coach role became vacant after FAT announced Ishii’s dismissal on Tuesday, citing a mismatch between his management style and the federation’s direction, and unsatisfactory overall results. The decision followed recent wins over Taiwan in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, making FAT’s move a surprise to fans and media.

FAT said it will appoint a new coach quickly to prepare for November international fixtures, including a friendly against Singapore on Nov. 13 and an Asian Cup qualifier in Sri Lanka on Nov. 18.