Thailand coach Akira Nishino says his ultimate goal in the AFC U23 Championship 2020 is nothing other than taking Thailand to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
“I am satisfied with the results. All the teams are strong, and we should be well-prepared at home,” Nishino told reporters following the AFC U23 Championship 2020 draw on Thursday.
Thailand U23 was grouped with Bahrain, Australia and Iraq, two giants in Asian football.
“Of course, our ultimate goal is to advance to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo . It is made more special because the event will be held in Japan. Given that, I want to qualify and win even more. Thailand U23 should push themselves to achieve that goal,” said the Japanese-born coach.
“We will attend the SEA Games later this year and a gold medal there will galvanize our run in the upcoming AFC U23 Championship. The U23 team will train with their senior national team,” Nishino added.
“The center forward position has been a headache not only for Thailand but also for other Southeast Asian national teams. As clubs prefer foreign players for this position, we need a long-term plan to deal with this problem,” Nishino said.
The AFC U23 Championship 2020 will take place from Jan 8 to 26 in Thailand. The top 3 will advance to the Tokyo Olympic Games.
London
