Abu Dhabi: The humiliating loss to India in the AFC Asian Cup proved costly for Thailand head coach Milovan Rajevac as the Serbian was sacked immediately but was effusive in his praise for the Stephen Constantine-coached side.
Rajevac, who was sacked by Football Association of Thailand hours after India’s stunning 4-1 win Monday, said his side’s opponents thoroughly deserved to take all three points.
“They (India) absolutely deserved to win the match. For us, the first half was mostly okay, even though we conceded the opening goal after a corner of our own. In the second period, India were more aggressive, and they clearly wanted the victory,” Rajevac said.
The Serbian, who took Ghana to the quarterfinals of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa after stints in Qatar and Algeria, was appointed Thailand head coach in April 2017. He then signed for a two-year contract extension in February last year.
Rajevac’s assistant Sirisak Yodyardthai will take over as interim head coach for the rest of the tournament, beginning with the team’s group match against Bahrain Thursday.
“I would like to announce the termination of the contract of the head coach of the Thai national team Milovan Rajevac and also announce the appointment of Sirisak Yodyardthai to perform the duties with the team,” FA Thailand said in a statement.