The Thai women’s national volleyball team left for Turkey on Sunday to compete in the final round of the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Women’s Nations League.
The team departed Suvarnabhumi Airport at 8.30pm to Istanbul from where it would take a short transit flight to Ankara.
Thailand will play the hosts on Thursday at 10.30pm (Thailand time) in the quarterfinal.
Thailand are currently ranked 14th in the world while Turkey are fifth.
Thailand qualified for the final round after finishing eighth in the 16-team preliminary round-robin league with 15 points from five wins and seven losses.
Turkey were seventh with 21 points from seven wins and five losses, but the team enjoys top seeding as the hosts.
The Turks go into the match as the favourites, having won four of the last five times they played Thailand.
A misunderstanding led to Liverpool players getting into a normal bus when a special, fully-decorated bus was ready to pick them up from the airport.
Liverpool players arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Sunday to play a one-off exhibition match against Manchester United on July 12.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp led his team of 37, including Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Darwin Nunez out of the airport.
After the arrival ceremony, Kloop greeted Liverpool fans and got into a bus with the sticker “Tom Sermyon” instead of the fully-decorated bus waiting for the team.
The players followed Klopp in greeting fans and got into the bus, giving fans an opportunity to see them through clear windows.
After the incident, netizens were confused and curious as to why the team did not take the Liverpool bus, while the keyword “Tom Sermyon” also went viral.
Many netizens said jokingly that Tom Sermyon might be the main sponsor of this tournament. Some of them are looking to buy lottery tickets bearing the plate number.
There was a rumour that it was Klopp who had told the team to take that bus so fans could have a chance to greet them.
However, event organiser Fresh Air Festival has denied the rumours. The company said staff and players had a misunderstanding and took the wrong bus.
The company insisted that the fully-decorated bus was ready and could handle all players and staff while the other bus was not enough to take all players.
Liverpool will hold a public training session at Rajamangala Stadium on Monday from 7.30pm to 9pm while the match will kick off on Tuesday at 8pm.
Watching Weerathep Pomphan skillfully control games at the heart of the Thailand national team, you would never guess he hardly ever played football as a child.
Until the age of 18, his ambition was to be a futsal player in Nonthaburi, a hotbed of the game with its own professional league.
However, his dream of five-a-side stardom was shattered when he failed to net a futsal scholarship at university. Someone suggested he should try out for a football scholarship instead – advice that set Weerathep on his path to sporting greatness.
His first step was to win a place on the university team, but before long he was playing semi-professionally for Chamchuri United. There, he was talent-spotted by Thai League 1 giants Muangthong United, who swooped to sign him.
Now that he has established himself as a star of Thai football, his next step will likely be the J1 League in Japan.
Weerathep said that switching to football changed his life forever.
Before the start of the Thai League season, we got a chance to interview the Thai national team and Muangthong star at his 12-million-baht home in Perfect Place 2 village, Nonthaburi.
Home life = girlfriend, cats
There to welcome us warmly were Weerathep and his girlfriend Nasha Jutawijittam.
Nasha is a former hockey player who played for the national team at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia. Weerathep explained that she was his junior at Chulalongkorn University and they became a couple in January 2021.
The house is also home to their three pedigree cats, Lava, Lavell and Luna – one of whom is noticeably fatter than the others.
“The female one is pregnant with maybe four kittens,” Weerathep mentioned while feeding his pets. “All of the kittens are reserved and will be sold for 25,000 baht each, or 100,000 baht from all of them.”
His love of cats dates back to a chance encounter years ago.
“When I was a teenager, I took an injured, hungry stray cat back home after playing futsal because I felt pity for it.”
Was he interested in becoming a cat breeder for extra income, we joked.
“It’s not worth it,” he laughed. “The food cost is already more expensive than the sale price.”
Casual conversation over, we dived into the more serious topic of his career as a 50-million-baht footballer (current estimated market value) earning around 500,000 baht per month.
Futsal: Where it all began
“Actually, I started playing futsal first and still play the game regularly, as I come from Nonthaburi,” Weerathep said.
“I lived in a city that loves futsal, so I liked and followed it as a kid and right through high school.”
However, he only started to get serious about the sport at the age of 13 in Sribunyanon School.
“A lot of my seniors played futsal and became futsal players in the professional league, so I wanted to follow their path.”
In Mathayom 3 [grade 9], his talent was spotted by a coach from Patumkongka School, and he asked his father and his teacher for permission to transfer.
“They agreed because Patumkongka School was famous for both futsal and football.”
He captained the futsal team at Patumkongka until it was time to leave school and find a university.
It was then that Weerathep reached a crossroads that would change the direction of his life forever.
“I took the university exam for the futsal scholarship at Chulalongkorn University but my score was lower than the entry criteria.”
In fact, Weerathep had scored an own-goal, losing out to his own impatience.
“I took the exams for only two subjects because the other three were in the afternoon. I didn’t want to wait, so my score was lower than the criteria,” he laughed.
He registered for the second round, but his teachers at Patumkongka School talked with Chulalongkorn University (CU)’s football coach and urged Weerathep to try out for the footballer scholarship instead.
“I thought hard because I liked futsal. Football is actually similar [to futsal in some ways] but I rarely played football when I was a child … and there are a lot of differences.
“However, I decided to try and I passed [the exam], so my path changed from futsal player to footballer.”
Weerathep quickly found out one big difference between futsal and football was the risk of injury. He fractured a bone in his foot, which meant his first season of football was over quickly.
“I got injured and had to rest for almost a year.”
After the foot healed in the second year, he returned to play in university tournaments.
“At that time, I felt that I could play and enjoy it. I got a great opportunity to play with Chamchuri United, a team in Thai League 3.”
Although he still had doubts about his talent, Weerathep was thrilled to be playing as a pro while still at university.
“When I got my first salary payment, I was very happy as I was playing football while studying. It was the first time I got money without asking my parents for it.”
Although only 15,000 baht per month, the money motivated him to develop skills that could command higher earnings.
“I pushed myself until I got into Muangthong United,” he said.
At Chamchuri United, Weerathep played spectacularly and his skills caught the eye of Thai League giants Muangthong United.
Weerathep joined Muangthong United as a no-name player with plenty to prove.
“At that time, I did not know when the opportunity would come. Whenever I got a chance, I always played at maximum like it was my final match. Fortunately, the results were good.”
He gradually made his way into the first team and got the chance to play alongside his idol.
“My favourite player is Sarach Yooyen. I always liked him and am happy to be playing with him in both the club and national competitions.”
‘Secret’ of first goal for Thailand
After becoming indispensable in midfield for Muangthong, Weerathep got his first call-up for the national team in October 2020. He made his Thailand debut against Nakhon Pathom United in a friendly match.
For his second call-up, he was among 47 players chosen by coach Akira Nishino for a June 2020 training camp to prepare for the second round of World Cup qualifying in UAE.
Spectacular form won him his first competitive appearance for Thailand in the final group-stage match of the 2020 AFF Championship against Singapore, which the Thais won 2-0.
“At that time, coach Mano [Alexandré Pölking] rotated the entire team. I got the chance to play as I was in the reserve squad. I always thought this would be a rare opportunity that I had to grab,” the midfielder added.
Since that match, Weerathep has cemented his place in the first team, even being called on by the Thailand under-23 team for the Southeast Asian Games as an over-aged player.
He performed strongly at the tournament, scoring one goal and guiding the team through to the final – where they lost narrowly 1-0 to hosts Vietnam.
Weerathep revealed a secret about his goal against Indonesia in the semi-final. He said he was frustrated that the strikers could not find the net, so he decided to finish the job himself.
“It was in extra-time and they couldn’t score. When I got the ball, I only thought about taking a shot – and it became my first goal for Thailand.
Despite becoming a starter for both club and country, Weerathep says he still has plenty of room for improvement.
For now, though, he is happy to play for Muangthong United and recently extended his contract for three years. When asked about a move abroad, he said his ambition was to play in Japan’s J1 League because he is 26 years old and not getting any younger.
“Muangthong United is a partner with Urawa Red Diamonds [in the J1 League]. If there is a chance and the team’s executives allow me to play, I want to play there, because I am getting older.”
“In the national team’s training camp, I talked with seniors who have played in Japan. They said that I must play in foreign countries if I want to develop.”
‘Credit goes to parents’
Weerathep’s life has changed dramatically over the past decade, from teenage futsal player to one of the highest-paid footballers in Thailand.
He owns a 12-million-baht house with a 4-million-baht Mercedes-Benz parked in the driveway. He earns several hundred thousand baht per month from playing football and sponsors – enough to take care of himself, his family and his girlfriend.
“At this point, I admit that my life has exceeded my dreams by a long way. When I was a child, I wanted to play professional futsal. If I was still playing futsal, I don’t know if I would have a house and a car like this.
“It was fate that brought me to football,” he added, before expressing gratitude to everyone who had helped him along the way.
But his parents deserved most of the credit, Weerathep said.
“Ultimately, I must thank my parents because they gave me advice when I had to choose a path. They said that I should take another path, so I changed my mind and went with their suggestion.
“I reached this point because of the path that my parents suggested to me, so I want to thank them.”
Hundreds of Thai soccer fans cheered on English soccer giants Liverpool as the squad arrived at the Bangkok airport on Sunday (July 10), a day after bitter rivals Manchester United met their supporters ahead of their friendly on Tuesday.
“We respect the United a lot, but when we meet them, we want to beat them. I expect a tough game for us because it will be the first game,” said Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp.
Jordan Henderson (left) Liverpool caption , Jurgen Klopp (middle) Liverpoo Manager and James Milner on first press conference in Thailand
The English soccer clubs will face off in a friendly match on Tuesday, where KPOP star Jackson Wang of boyband GOT7 is also scheduled to perform.
Tickets are being sold for as high as 25,000 baht ($700) with sponsors still giving away tickets on the weekend.
The match will be Thailand’s first overseas match since the pandemic began and is part of the teams’ pre-season tours before the Premier League season begins next month.
After their match, Liverpool will then head to Singapore and United to Melbourne.
Novak Djokovic clinched his seventh Wimbledon title and the 21st Grand Slam trophy.
Serbia’s six-time champion Novak Djokovic came from one set down to defeat Australian Nick Kyrgios 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3) on Sunday, winning his seventh Wimbledon title and the 21st Grand Slam trophy.
Djokovic, 35, was outclassed by Grand Slam’s final debutant Kyrgios in the opening set as the confident Australian broke in the fifth game to make it 6-4.
But the resilient Djokovic kept his composure in his eighth final at the grass-court Grand Slam, seeing off the 27-year-old Kyrgios with suffocating defense.
“I am lost words for what this tournament and this trophy means to me. It always has been and will be the most special one in my heart,” said Djokovic after clinching the Wimbledon title for the fourth time in a row.
“It motivated me to play in my small mountain resort and I saw Pete Sampras win and I asked my mum and dad to buy me a racquet.
“It was my first image of tennis – every single time it gets more meaningful, and I’m blessed to be standing here with the trophy.”
Novak Djokovic returns the ball during the match. (Xinhua/Han Yan)
Djokovic rushed to the stand to hug his team members as well as family and friends.
“I don’t take any wins for granted, and particularly not in Wimbledon. In contrary, actually every time feels a bit different, special in its own way,” said Djokovic. “Of course, having family and close people in my life here to share this victory with them, it was beautiful.”
Djokovic tied Pete Sampras and William Renshaw for the second-most men’s singles titles in Wimbledon history with seven, only one shy of Roger Federer.
But Djokovic has one more Grand Slam title than the Swiss legend and one behind Nadal.
Kyrgios, who served 30 aces in the match and played as entertaining as always, believed he had put himself in a position to win, “but I just wasn’t able to play those clutch points well at all today.”
The Liverpool FC squad touched down at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport at 1.40pm on Sunday to the cheers of over 1,000 waiting fans.
The flight was delayed by 40 minutes but LFC stars including Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Darwin Nunez were greeted by a sea of press and fans waving players’ photos or the Liverpool emblem.
The team will play Manchester United at Rajamangala National Stadium on Tuesday, in the Premier League giants’ first match of their pre-season tour of Asia.
The Liverpool players will train at the stadium on Monday evening following Manchester Utd’s training session earlier in the day. Fans holding 25,000-baht ‘elite’ tickets for the match will also be able to watch the training sessions. Manager Jurgen Klopp held a press conference on arrival before the players headed to check-in at The St Regis Bangkok Hotel.
Liverpool’s 37-man squad for Thailand:
Goalkeepers: Alisson, Adrian, Davies, Mrozek
Defenders: Van Dijk, Konate, Matip, Gomez, Phillips, R Williams, Van den Berg, Bajcetic, Robertson, Alexander-Arnold, Tsimikas, Chambers, Norris
Premier League giants Manchester United arrived at Don Mueang Airport on Saturday ahead of their match against Liverpool at Rajamangala Stadium on Tuesday.
About 100 die-hard Red Devils fans waited at the airport for more than two hours to welcome their favourite players back to Thailand.
Manchester Utd last visited Bangkok nine years ago in 2013.
For this trip, new manager Erik ten Hag led a squad of 31 players off the plane.
The full squad list for Tuesday’s match is as follows:
Goalkeepers: David De Gea, Tom Heaton, Nathan Bishop, and Matej Kovar
Defenders: Eric Bailly, Diogo Dalot, Ethan Laird, Victor Lindelöf, Harry Maguire, Tyrell Malacia, Luke Shaw, Alex Telles, Axel Tuanzebe, Raphaël Varane, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Midfielders: Amad Diallo, Bruno Fernandes, Fred, James Garner, Hannibal Mejbri, Zidane Iqbal, Scott McTominay, Facundo Pellistri, Charlie Savage, and Donny van de Beek
Forwards: Tahith Chong, Anthony Elanga, Alejandro Garnacho, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, and Jadon Sancho
However, Christiano Ronaldo did not travel with the team, citing a “family issue” he had to deal with. According to transfer rumours in England, the Portuguese superstar is looking for a new team, with Chelsea favourites to secure his services for next season.
One fan waiting at the airport said he was still excited to see other players as he was a devoted Manchester United follower.
Another said that she was sad not to see Ronaldo but understood the situation and his reason for wanting to leave the team.
The team immediately headed to the Athenee Hotel in Bangkok, where they will check in before holding a private training session at the STB Academy this evening.
The last time Manchester United played a pre-season match in Thailand, David Moyes was manager. That visit saw the Red Devils lose 1-0 to a Thai All-Star XI team, with Teeratep Winothai scoring the winner.
Manchester United will hold a press conference on Monday at 4pm followed by a public training session at Rajamangala Stadium will from 5pm to 6.30pm.
Meanwhile, the first batch of Liverpool players is expected to arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Sunday at 12pm. Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson Becker and Egyptian star Mohamed Salah will take a later flight to join up with the squad in Bangkok.
Liverpool will hold their public training session after Utd’s at Rajamangala Stadium on Monday from 7.30pm to 9pm.
The match between the two teams will kick off at Rajamangala on Tuesday at 8pm.
Manchester United have named a 31-man travelling squad for Tour 2022 ahead of the pre-season games in Thailand and Australia.
Erik ten Hag has selected his group for the trip with an opening match to come against Liverpool on Tuesday in Bangkok.
It represents a first overseas tour with United for a number of players, including experienced performers such as Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes, but also an opportunity for younger players to impress.
In total, 13 are travelling who have graduated from the Academy, such as Alejandro Garnacho, Zidane Iqbal and Charlie Savage, who all made their senior debuts last season. There are also places for some Reds who have returned from loan spells last term, with Tahith Chong, James Garner and Ethan Laird among these.
New recruit Tyrell Malacia is on the plane – he, goalkeepers Nathan Bishop and Matej Kovar, plus Facundo Pellistri, are the only men yet to make their competitive first-team bows at United.
Cristiano Ronaldo will not be in the party departing for Thailand as he has been granted additional time off to deal with a family issue.
Defender Phil Jones is following a specialist pre-season programme, as was the case last summer, to ensure he is best prepared for the campaign ahead. Brandon Williams, back from a loan spell at Norwich City, has a small issue and so is continuing to work at Carrington.
Andreas Pereira is being afforded a break following his recent exertions in Brazil, on loan with Flamengo.
Goalkeepers David De Gea Tom Heaton Nathan Bishop Matej Kovar
Defenders Eric Bailly Diogo Dalot Ethan Laird Victor Lindelof Harry Maguire Tyrell Malacia Luke Shaw Alex Telles Axel Tuanzebe Raphael Varane Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Midfielders Amad Bruno Fernandes Fred James Garner Hannibal Zidane Iqbal Scott McTominay Facundo Pellistri Charlie Savage Donny van de Beek
Forwards Tahith Chong Anthony Elanga Alejandro Garnacho Anthony Martial Marcus Rashford Jadon Sancho
Manchester United has unveiled its home jersey for the upcoming season and will use it for the first time in the match against Liverpool in Thailand on Tuesday.
The club’s kit manufacturer displayed Manchester United’s home jersey for the 2022-23 season on Friday. It will be the first kit with a polo collar since Adidas became the sponsor of the club in 2015.
It was inspired by the club’s historic design and its status as the biggest club in the world. It has a unique identity, as the graphic draws on the club’s roots and its Old Trafford stadium on the collar.
Thai people will be able to catch the first glimpse of this jersey during the match against Liverpool at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok on July 12.
The company insisted that the fully-decorated bus was ready and could handle all players and staff while the other bus was not enough to take all players.
Liverpool will hold a public training session at Rajamangala Stadium on Monday from 7.30pm to 9pm while the match will kick off on Tuesday at 8pm.
Jordan Henderson (left) Liverpool caption , Jurgen Klopp (middle) Liverpoo Manager and James Milner on first press conference in Thailand
Mo Salah on smile to Thai fan
Novak Djokovic returns the ball during the match. (Xinhua/Han Yan)
Liverpool’s 37-man squad for Thailand:
Midfielders: Thiago, Henderson, Fabinho, Milner, Keita, Jones, Elliott, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Morton, Clarkson, Frauendorf, Mabaya, Hill
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