On February 8, 2024, Madam Pang - a famous businesswoman in Thailand was officially elected President of the Football Association of Thailand (FAT), after winning overwhelmingly with 68 out of 73 votes.
As soon as he took office, Madam Pang was expected to open a period of prosperity for football in the land of the Golden Temple thanks to his long experience in sports and extensive relationships both domestically and internationally.
However, contrary to expectations, over the past 18 months under her management, Thai football has been going through a difficult period at all levels.
At the men's national team level, the first was the loss to Vietnam in the 2024 ASEAN Cup final right at home, making Thailand the former champion of Southeast Asia. Not stopping there, the team continued to disappoint in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup when they were eliminated early.
Recently, the Thai team lost to Turkmenistan in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, facing the risk of continuing to miss the opportunity to compete in the continental arena.
At the time of Madam Pang's tenure, Thailand ranked 96th in the world. However, up to now, they have dropped to 102nd place, showing an alarming decline in international competitions.
Not only the men's team, the Thai women's team also experienced poor results when they could not qualify for the 2026 Asian Cup, officially losing the opportunity to return to the World Cup - a tournament in which they have participated twice. One of the big goals that Madam Pang had set for Thai women's football was not achieved.
The disappointment continued at the youth level. Most recently, in the semi-finals of the 2025 Southeast Asian U23, U23 Thailand lost to U23 Indonesia on the penalty spot with a score of 6-7, after a 1-1 draw in 120 minutes of play. Despite taking the lead, the Golden Temple team could not maintain the advantage and lost the ticket to the final.
During Madam Pang's tenure, no Thai team has won championships in official regional or continental tournaments.
In addition to the unsatisfactory performance, FAT also faced serious financial difficulties. In March, Madam Pang publicly announced the Federation's carrying of a bank loan of up to 155 million baht and a debt of 360 million baht arising from a loss to media company Siam Sport.
Madam Pang himself has also had to invest money several times to keep the flow of Thai football unstoppable, even though this is just a temporary solution.
With her term still ahead, the FAT female president will face increasing pressure from public opinion and fans.
