Schaefer names squad for cruncher

Thailand coach Winfried Schaefer has announced a provisional 32man squad for next month's crucial World Cup qualifier in Oman.

The list the German trainer released yesterday mainly comprised the squad that lost all three fixtures in the recent fournation King's Cup.

Ongart Kohsinkha, the general secretary of the Football Association of Thailand, revealed the team would head off for nine days of training in Chiang Mai before a warmup match in United Arab Emirates, then travel on to Oman ahead of the crunch World Cup qualifier on February 29.

"Schaefer wanted privacy for the team's preparations. So we decided to move to Chiang Mai. The training camp will start on February 13. Then we'll leave for UAE on February 22 for a tuneup five days later," said Ongart.

Ongart dismissed fears that players' trips abroad with Buriram PEA and Chonburi FC next month would disrupt the Thailand team's preparations.

"In the case of Buriram, it will not be a problem, because our training camp will start after they finish their Laos trip.

"For Chonburi players, their AFC Champions League qualifier means that they will join us later, on February 21, to prepare for the UAE trip," said Ongart.

Thailand go into their last Group D game in fourth place, one point behind Oman and two behind Saudi Arabia. A Thailand win coupled with the Saudis losing to Australia would see the Thais through to the final round of World Cup qualifiers.