Coach Anthony Hudson faces death threats from Thai fans following defeats against Vietnam…

Center-back Nicholas Mickelson has publicly defended Thailand national team head coach Anthony Hudson, who has been subjected to verbal abuse and death threats from extreme Thai fans following recent losses to regional rivals Vietnam and Indonesia.

The English manager has reportedly been facing threatening messages for several months.

During an interview published with Siamsport on Oct. 25, Mickelson, who plays for German club Elversberg, strongly criticized the extreme fans responsible for the threats.

"At the end of the day, we are all human, and football is just a sport. I don't believe anyone deserves to receive such threats," Mickelson said.

The 27-year-old defender argued that the coach should not have to endure vulgar insults, regardless of match results or public disagreements over tactical decisions.

The situation first gained attention on Oct. 5, when Spacebar reported details regarding Hudson's situation. The administrator of the football commentary page Wikhro Ball Jingjang revealed that Hudson had personally shown them threatening messages sent to his private Instagram account.

Others have even cursed and threatened to kill his family. One particular message stated that Thailand would be a better place if he just dropped dead, threatening violence if Hudson does not step down from his position.

Ever since Thailand's defeat to Vietnam in the final of the 2026 ASEAN Cup in August, the English manager has been receiving threats almost daily. Sent from both authentic and fake social media accounts, some individuals have threatened to run Hudson over with a vehicle and break his legs if they encounter him in public, according to the report.

The pressure increased as Thailand's defeat to Vietnam was followed by their losing the FIFA ASEAN Cup title to Indonesia on Oct. 5. Even when Thailand defeated Vietnam 2-0 during the group stage of the latter tournament, Hudson still faced criticism for his overly defensive style of play.

This is not the first time Hudson has faced such threats in Thailand. In November 2025, Thairath cited commentator Jay Worapath, who revealed that Hudson had received threats to run him over shortly after his appointment as the successor to Japan coach Masatada Ishii. This indicates that the threats began as soon as Hudson took charge of the team, not just after recent setbacks.

There has been no confirmation that Hudson intends to resign. The Football Association of Thailand has recently extended his contract until February 2028. Hudson remains actively engaged in scouting players and preparing the squad for the upcoming King's Cup in November and the 2027 Asian Cup.

To date, Thai media have not reported any arrests or indicated that local authorities have launched a formal police investigation into the death threats.