The first casualty of India's failure to qualify for the Beijing Olympic Games is coach Joaquim Carvalho. Carvalho, who had said before leaving for Chile that he would step down if the Indian men's hockey team failed to make it, has kept his word.
Carvalho, a former India player, is stepping down along with his assistants M.P. Singh and Ramesh Parameswaran.
Carvalho, however, said he would formally resign on the team's return to India and once he has met K.P.S. Gill, president of the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF).
Gill, meanwhile, had nothing to say. When asked for his reaction to the debacle, the IHF president told IANS Monday morning: "I'll issue a statement after the coaches (with the team) are back."
Soon after India's 0-2 loss to Great Britain in the final of the qualifying tournament Sunday, Carvalho said his failure to "deliver a result" prompted him to resign.
Carvalho said that the Indian hockey team did have potential and many of the young players in this side should form the nucleus for the future.
Only one Olympic berth was available from the Santiago qualifier, which had six teams. Great Britain has made it.
Indo-Asian News Service
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