KUALA LUMPUR – Former national hockey player Datuk Seri N. Sri Shanmuganathan pointed out that the Speedy Tigers’ inability to strengthen their basics was the root cause behind their exit from the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.
The three-time Olympian (1968, 1972, and 1976) also highlighted that the team’s performance was never impressive from the beginning of the tournament.
“The boys were never impressive from the start of the tournament. They were overconfident and tended to struggle when facing tactically strong teams.
“I don’t see the hunger in our team to win their games against mentally and physically strong teams like South Korea and China.
“There’s no use in having only 5 players with a passion to play for the team while the rest of the players are basically numb. That’s not how a team works.
“The synergy within the team is bad, and their basics, such as driving the ball and receiving it in tight situations, have been really poor.
“I don’t think this team can progress if they don’t work on rectifying these fundamental issues,” said Shanmuganathan, who captained the 1975 World Cup team that finished fourth at Stadium Merdeka.
The 76-year-old legend also said that Malaysian hockey fans deserve a proper explanation from the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) for what went wrong within the team and how the association plans to move forward for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympic qualifiers.
“Those responsible for our poor performance should step up and explain to the fans what went wrong throughout this tournament.
“MHC’s target is to bring back the gold medal and qualify directly for the Olympics. What happened?
“I hope they find a solution to this matter before the Olympic qualifiers – and even if they are unable to do so, those responsible for the national team’s decline should step down and make way for someone who can manage the team better,” added Shanmuganathan.
The national men’s hockey team were denied a semi-final spot in Hangzhou following a 4-4 draw against China in a Pool B match yesterday.
Malaysia ended up third with 10 points, finishing behind group champions China and runners-up South Korea.
The Speedy Tigers are currently ranked 10th in the FIH world rankings with 2,041.37 points.
Their best finish in the Asian Games came in the 2018 edition in Jakarta, where they won the silver medal, while their last appearance in the Olympics was in the 2000 edition in Sydney. – October 3, 2023