India's crashing out of men's hockey, leaves the former champs facing an uncertain future in a sport they once ruled the world.
DOHA: India crashed out of the Asian Games men’s hockey on Sunday, leaving the former champions facing an uncertain future in a sport they once ruled the world, as violence broke out in another match. India drew 1-1 with South Korea at the Al Rayyan Stadium in a match they had to win to qualify for the semi-finals and now face a real threat of missing the Olympics for the first time. Both goals came in the second half as India’s Vokkaliga Raghunath equalised in the 57th minute after penalty corner specialist Jang Jong-Hyun had put the Koreans ahead in the 41st.
South Korea, the defending champions, topped group B with 10 points, one more than China who took the other semi-final spot. India finished with seven points.
India had made it to the Asiad gold medal clash on 11 of the past 12 occasions since hockey was introduced at the Tokyo Games in 1958, winning the title twice in 1966 and 1998. The only time India missed the final was at Seoul in 1986 when they claimed the bronze behind South Korea and Pakistan.
The eight-time Olympic champions now face a potentially hazardous qualifying route to the 2008 Beijing Games. The eventual finalists here will gain a direct entry. India will contest one of the three Olympic qualifying tournaments to be held in Chile, Japan and New Zealand in early 2008 and need to win it to make the trip to Beijing.
The task will not be easy for the Indians, who finished 11th out of 12 teams at the World Cup in Monchengladbach, Germany in September.
Indian coach Vasudevan Baskaran, whose year-long tenure ends after the Asian Games, said the failure to reach the semi-finals was a setback. But he praised the team for putting up a brave fight against the Koreans. “It was an equal game that could have gone either way,” said Bhaskaran, who was captain when India won the last of its eight Olympic golds at the western-boycotted Moscow Games in 1980.
“I think it was our best match of the tournament but a few chances were missed which cost us victory. The defeat against China proved vital. It was our only loss in the tournament and that denied us a place in the semi-finals.”
Bangladesh, meanwhile, fought back from a 1-2 deficit to beat Oman 5-3 in a violent match that ended in Bangladeshi player Mamunur Rahman being stretched off the field after being hit by Oman’s Hossam Hassan with a hockey stick.
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