Thailand coach Winfried Schaefer said yesterday he was pleased that the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) finally found an opponent for his men to play a friendly match with.
Winfried Schaefer
The FAT announced on Wednesday that the national side would play a warm-up game with Laos at Rajamangala National Stadium on Sept 12.
Laos agreed to play Thailand after several countries had turned down invitations from the FAT because they already arranged their own warm-up matches.
The Sept 12 match will be part of both sides' preparations for the AFF Suzuki Cup (Southeast Asian championship) which will be co-hosted by Thailand and Malaysia in November.
"I am happy that we will have a warm-up match," said Schaefer.
But the German coach was upset that he could not call up players from Chonburi and Bangkok Glass because they will meet in the League Cup quarter-final second leg on Sept 11.
"I don't know why the FAT arranged the League Cup match just one day before the national team play a warm-up match," said Schaefer.
"No countries in the world have domestic and international matches almost at the same time."
The other teams in the League Cup will play their quarter-final second-leg games on Sept 19.
He called on the FAT to arrange at least two more warm-up games for the national team ahead of the Suzuki Cup.
"As far as I know, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam will play five or six warm-up matches before the Suzuki Cup," he said.
Laos upset by 'weak team' tag
Lao journalists are upset that their national team are labelled as a "weak side" by a Thai player.
Thailand striker Teerasil Dangda was quoted as saying that Thailand would gain very little from playing a warm-up match with a "weak team."
He said Thailand should play with a stronger side instead of a weaker team.
"Representing my friends here in Laos, we think this kind of talk is very disappointing," said a Lao journalist.