Controversies overshadow hockey team's showing

A seventh place finish at Athens was hardly the goal of the much-hyped Indian hockey team but it turned out to be yet another forgettable campaign.

A seventh place finish was hardly the goal of the much-hyped Indian hockey team when it left the shores of the country in quest of an Olympic medal but it turned out to be yet another forgettable campaign plagued by off-field controversies.

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The Indians not only failed to make it to the semi-finals but also lost out on a berth for the prestigious Champions Trophy, a clear reflection that the country once regarded a major hockey power in the world has still a long way to go before they can match their European rivals.

The extensive training in the United States and Germany and the appointment of the first-ever foreign coach did not bring about a change in the fortunes of the eight-time gold medallists who just about managed to retain the seventh place secured in the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

While the performance on the field left much to be desired, the critical remarks by some seniors like Dhanraj Pillay on the tactics adopted by the German coach Gerhard Rach during the tournament plunged Indian hockey into a fresh controversy.

Indian hockey as such has always been mired in some controversy or the other but the open outbursts of players against the coach during an important assignment came as a surprise even for the Indian Hockey Federation which has now promised to crack the whip on players guilty of indiscipline.