Speaking after watching the Bangkok-Sukhothai Thai league game at Thammasat Rangsit on Saturday night, Pol. Gen. Somyot Poompanmoung, president of the Football Association of Thailand (FAT), said that, if a deal can be concluded, Mr. Akira Nishino is highly likely to become the head coach of the “War Elephants”, Thailand’s national football team.

He said that the key reason for the FAT selecting Nishino is that he used to work with Witthaya Laohakul, head of the FAT’s technical team when the latter served at the Gamba Osaka club. The FAT aim to strike Bt20 million per year deal with Nishino.

Mr. Nishino, 64, is known to favour an attacking philosophy since he became Japan’s national football team head coach for the Russian World Cup in April 2018. The team has had impressive results with Japan making it to the first knock-out round of 16 teams but lost to Belgium, 3-2.

He is said to have been interested in the Thai team following the resignation of caretaker coach, Sirisak Yodyathai or “Coach Toayi” on June 14^th.

Apart from Mr. Nishino, South Korean boss Yoon Jong-Hwan, former coach of Ulsan Hyundai, Cerezo Osaka and most recently Muangthong United, has also expressed interest in the job. However, the FAT has not yet made their final choice.

The new head coach will have to lead both the Thai national team in the first round of Asia Zone’s World Cup this September and the U23 team to defend the championship in the Philippines in November, and the final match is scheduled to take place in Thailand in January 2020. Alexander Gama, the U23 former boss, called it quits in late May.