Former Japan national team manager Akira Nishino has formally agreed to be the next head coach of Thailand's national football team and under-23 team, the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) said Monday.
Nishino, who led Japan's Samurai Blue to the round of 16 at the World Cup in Russia last year, will take the helm of Thailand's national team as it strives to reach the 2022 tournament through the Asian qualifiers.
He will also guide the under-23 team's efforts at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines and the Asian Football Confederation's U-23 Championship 2020, to be held in Thailand.
The FAT's press release said Nishino accepted the offer after talks with association chief Somyot Pumpanmuang and another executive, with Nishino requesting from the beginning to oversee both teams in order to build continuity and manage the two national teams in the same direction.
It added that a press conference will be held later regarding the selection of Nishino, who travelled to Thailand for negotiations. His talks with Thai football executives on Monday afternoon reportedly ended without a concrete outcome, but further talks in the evening led to an agreement.
Thailand had been seeking a new coach for its national team, nicknamed the War Elephants, since an interim coach resigned after the team fared poorly at the annual King's Cup tournament in Thailand in June.