It was not as many have speculated, though it seemed that Thailand mocked their opponents as they led 3-0 at that time. It was, however, a tribute befitting the status of their legendary goalkeeper who came in during the first leg of the 2020 AFF Suzuki Cup final at the Singapore National Stadium.
The War Elephants fielded three goalkeepers for this tournament with former number one Kawin Thamsatchanan serving as the second backup keeper. The main man between the sticks, Chatchai Budprom, was injured after their gruelling semifinals against Vietnam. For the final match against Indonesia, Thailand opted to field Siwarak Tedsungnoen, the second-choice keeper.
Three goals up with Indonesia trailing 0-3 (later succumbed to a 0-4 defeat), fans were surprised that Thailand made a substitution at the 74th minute: replacing Siwarak with Kawin. This raised many eyes as Siwarak was fit to play and had no indication of injury whatsoever. But why the change?
Indonesian fans were riled up with the seemingly ridiculous, peculiar substitution. Some even said that Thailand were downgrading their opponents by getting Kawin into the game. But what many didn’t know was that the remaining minutes of the play proved to be Kawin’s moments of tribute for someone special in his heart, and extensively, the Thailand camp.
A natural leader and veteran of the team, Kawin’s presence was instrumental. Explaining his action to include the stopper into the game, Thailand manager Alexandre Polking, during post-match, said that it befit the keeper’s desire to honour his father, who passed away a few hours prior to the match.
“I would like to reiterate that Kawin wanted to play and this is not in any way insulting Indonesia,” said the Brazilian-German coach.
“Kawin’s father passed away earlier today and I fielded him on the pitch to make him feel honoured.”
The veteran keeper was emotional and prayed prior to entering the pitch. The news of his father’s death was conveyed through his social media after the match.
“So happy and proud to be your son. You have always sacrificed for your family. It’s time for you to rest. May you rest in heaven sir… love you so much daddy,” quoted from his personal Instagram account.
The first leg of the final saw Thailand thrashed Indonesia 4-0 on Tuesday. Albeit victory seemingly secured, Indonesia may stand a chance to upset the War Elephants on the New Year in the return leg at the same stadium.
This article was first published on 01 January 2022 in our Weekly E-Paper issue 174 |
THE BRUNEIAN | BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
