Thailand fires head coach Masatada Ishii

Masatada Ishii as Thailand head coach. Photo by FAT

The decision followed a meeting between coach Ishii and FAT Technical Committee. According to the FAT, Ishii's playing style has recently been evaluated as unsuitable for the national team, and the results under his leadership were not up to expectations, OneFootball reported.

The announcement came as a surprise, given that Thailand had just secured two victories against Taiwan, 2-0 and 6-1, in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers on Oct. 9 and 14. Thai media did not indicate any signs that Ishii's departure was imminent.

Ishii was appointed as Thailand head coach in December 2023, replacing Mano Polking. His record after 30 matches stands at 16 wins, 6 draws and 8 losses.

Ishii's debut match was a 0-5 loss to Japan in a friendly. After that, Thailand performed well at the 2023 Asian Cup, defeating Kyrgyzstan 2-0, drawing 0-0 with Oman and Saudi Arabia, before losing 1-2 to Uzbekistan in the round of 16.

Despite these moments of success, Ishii's tenure was marked by disappointment as he failed to help Thailand progress past the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Thailand finished third in Group C, tied on points with China but lost out on goal difference and head-to-head results.

Ishii, 58, won the J1 League with Kashima Antlers as a player in 1996. After retiring in 1998, he became a coach, winning his first title in 2015, the J. League Cup with Kashima Antlers. A year later, his team won the J1 League 1 and Emperor's Cup and finished as runners-up in the FIFA Club World Cup, losing 2-4 to Real Madrid after extra time. Ishii was named the J1 League's best coach that year.

In 2019, Ishii moved to Thailand to manage Samut Prakan City and later Buriram United from 2021 to 2023. During his time at Buriram, he won two domestic trebles, securing the Thai League 1, Thai FA Cup, and Thai League Cup titles in the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons. He was also named the Thai League's best coach twice.

Ishii became the 35th coach in Thailand national team history and the second Japanese coach, following Akira Nishino, who led the team from 2019 to 2021.

FAT expressed gratitude for Ishii's dedication, stating: "We would like to thank Masatada Ishii for his hard work and contributions to the Thailand national team. We wish him and the coaching staff success in the future."

The FAT Technical Committee has announced that a new head coach will be selected as soon as possible to prepare for the upcoming FIFA international break in November. Thailand will play a friendly against Singapore on Nov. 13 before traveling to Sri Lanka for the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers on Nov. 18.