Worawi ready to step down

Worawi Makudi, president of the FA of Thailand, said that he is ready to step down from his post if the majority voice would like him to go following the U23 team's disastrous exit in men's football of the 25th SEA Games.

"This failure's the most disappointment to all Thais. We'd high expectation before the tournament that we would win the gold for ninth successive time. But, the competition in the Games is not easy as anyone thought. All other teams wanted to beat us,” said Worawi (picture).

"I'd tried to remind the players that every second in the game is critical. We needed to keep our focus until the end. It's a costly experience for us.

"Regarding on the call from some group who wanted me to resign, I'm a kind of person who wasn't attached to the position. So, I'm willing to consider myself if the majority of fans want me to leave or deem that I'm not suitable for the job.”

Thailand’s reign as eight consecutive champions of the SEA Games came crashing down last week when the team conceded a 2-1 loss to Malaysia in a crucial game of Group A which saw their exit from the tournament.

It was the first time in 36 years that the Thais had failed to reach the semi-finals stage.

Following the loss in Laos, the Thai team is now preparing for the 2011 Asian Cup qualifiers next month.

"Initially, we would have a training camp after the Games as several members of the team played for the Under23 side in Laos,” he added.

"Now, we've to move forward our training programme. Tomorrow, (national coach Bryan) Robson would return to the country, so the preparation might start right away. I'm still confident we could score at least four points from the remaining two Cup qualifiers.”- AFF.