Thailand U23 receives bad news at the SEA Games and Asian Qualifiers

Thailand U23 cannot summon the skilled Thai-French forward Erawan Garnier, who plays for Lyon.

On August 25th, the Thailand U23 team began assembling to prepare for the 2027 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers.

In this tournament, Thailand U23 is placed in Group F alongside Malaysia, Lebanon, and Mongolia. Notably, the current squad list does not include Erawan Garnier, the star affiliated with Olympique Lyonnais.

Head coach Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul stated: “Erawan is a talented player. However, I have monitored the performances of many other players and have already experienced the first tournament with them. Those who performed well have been retained. Players showing strong form in the preseason are also included. Another important factor is that I am planning for the upcoming SEA Games, where it is likely that Erawan will not be able to participate. In this initial gathering, we prioritize calling up domestic players. If the team qualifies for the finals but the current group underperforms, then we may consider recalling Erawan."

According to information from Thairath Sport, this training camp has a very short timeframe. If called, Erawan could only arrive in Thailand on September 1st or 2nd, meaning he would barely have time to train with the team. Therefore, the coaching staff decided to select domestic players, mostly from the Thailand U23 squad that won the 2025 Southeast Asian Championship under coach Thawatchai.

It is highly likely that Erawan Garnier will miss the 2025 SEA Games because this tournament is not included in FIFA's official calendar. Erawan made a strong impression with Thailand U23 during the 2024 AFC U23 Championship debut. However, he has frequently been absent from recent Thailand U23 campaigns due to club commitments. Currently, he plays for Lyon’s B team in the fifth division.

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