Witthaya Laohakul

Witthaya Laohakul or Witthaya Hloagune previously nicknamed "Heng" (Lucky) (Thai: วิทยา เลาหกุล; born 1 February 1954) is a Thai football manager and former player. He was the technical director of Thai football during 2016 to 2018.[1][2] He is the first Thai footballer who played for a European club at the German Bundesliga side Hertha BSC.

Witthaya Laohakul
Personal information
Full name Witthaya Laohakul
Date of birth (1954-02-01) 1 February 1954
Place of birth Lamphun, Thailand
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Youth career
1969–1971 Rajpracha
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1972–1976 Rajpracha 97 (28)
1977–1978 Yanmar Diesel 33 (14)
1979–1981 Hertha BSC 33 (0)
1982–1984 1. FC Saarbrücken 54 (7)
1984–1985 Rajpracha 24 (5)
1986–1987 Matsushita 32 (6)
Total 273 (61)
International career
1975–1985 Thailand 61 (18)
Managerial career
1988–1995 Gamba Osaka (assistant)
1995–1997 Bangkok Bank
1997–1998 Thailand
1998–1999 Bangkok Metropolitan
2000–2002 Thailand U16
2001 University of Nevada
2002–2003 Sembawang Rangers (U16/U18)
2004 Sembawang Rangers
2004–2006 Chonburi
2007–2010 Gainare Tottori
2011–2013 Chonburi
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

Laohakul was born in Lamphun Province, Thailand. His football career started with Rajpracha, a football club based in Bangkok. After that he joined Yanmar Diesel in 1977. This transfer made him the first Thai to play in Japan.

When he moved to Hertha BSC in 1979, he was the first Thai in the German league Bundesliga. Overall, he made only 33 league appearances in three years for the club.[3] After moving to 1. FC Saarbrücken, it was better for him and he play at least 53 league appearances in two years, scoring seven goals.[4] Greatest success in this period made him won the title in the Oberliga Südwest in the 1982–83 season and promoted to the 2. Bundesliga.

After his time at Saarbrücken, he returned to Thailand to play at Rajpracha for a short time. In 1986, he came back to play in Japan again as a player for Matsushita FC.

Coaching career
Witthaya in 2010

In 1988, Laohakul became assistant coach at Gamba Osaka, a founding member of the J League in 1992.

Returning to Thailand, he took over the Bangkok Bank F.C. and led the club to the first place in the 1996–97 Thailand Soccer League and qualification for the AFC Champions League. In 1997, he was be rewarded coach of the year.

In 2004, he took over the Chonburi F.C. and next year he led Chonburi to win the Provincial League and promote to the Thai Premier League in the 2006 season.

Then he returned to Japan[5] where he managed Gainare Tottori, a club from the third-highest division, with the task to lead the club to the J League.

In 2011 he joined Chonburi again as club manager but at the end of the 2013 Thai Premier League Witthaya resigned from his position to work as technical director.

References
  1. "Witthaya Laohakul". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  2. "BREAKING : หนนี้เสียหาย! สมยศ สั่งลุยปลดโย่งเปลี่ยนฝ่ายเทคนิค | FourFourTwo". www.fourfourtwo.com. Archived from the original on 28 August 2018.
  3. fussballdaten.de: Statistik der Einsätze
  4. ludwigspark.de: Einsatzstatistik beim 1. FC Saarbrücken)
  5. chonburifc.net: Aussage über die Strukturen in der FAT
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