Indonesian media lavishly praises Vietnam, delivers a 'bitter' verdict on Thai football

In their latest roundup, Super Ball (Indonesia) commends the progress of Vietnamese football in recent years. Conversely, the publication openly highlights the issues facing Thai football.

Super Ball published an article titled: “Thailand is no longer as dominant as before; the title of 'King of Southeast Asia' over the past three years has been contested between Vietnam and Indonesia.”

Based on the facts, the outlet observes that Thailand is going through a difficult period after a series of consecutive defeats within Southeast Asia. The last time the "War Elephants" secured a regional title was in 2022 with the AFF Cup championship. Since then, Thailand has not won any official titles in ASEAN tournaments at any age level, from youth teams to the senior national squad.

In 2023, they were defeated by U22 Indonesia in the final of SEA Games 32. At the AFF Cup 2024, Thailand lost to Vietnam in the final, and most recently, the "little War Elephants" suffered another defeat in the SEA Games final against Vietnam on home soil.

“Although once holding the 'king' status of ASEAN football with many past successes, Thailand's trophy cabinet is now gathering dust. Thai football fans have had to swallow a bitter pill after seeing their national team fail to win any titles in the past three years,”commented Super Ball.

According to Super Ball, Thailand's trophy drought began at the SEA Games 32 final, where they lost to U22 Indonesia. The heavy 2-5 defeat after extra time marked the start of the decline of Thailand's dominance in youth football levels.