Olympic campaign not a failure, team did ``reasonably well``: Pak hockey coach

Karachi: Pakistan’s hockey coach, Khwaja Junaid, has dismissed calls demanding his resignation following a dismal Olympics campaign, insisting that the team performed ``reasonably well``.

Pakistan failed to qualify for the semi-finals after suffering two losses in their group - one against Great Britain, and another against Australia. According to The Express Tribune, various Olympians, including former greats, citing a lack of progress, have demanded the resignations of the Pakistan Hockey Federation’s (PHF) top officials, team management and selection committee. Junaid, however, expressed his interest to continue as coach. "The PHF is the one that will need to decide my future," Junaid said, in response to the resignation calls. "While it was a setback that we failed to qualify for the semi-finals, I don’t see our campaign as a total failure. We played well against Spain who is ranked higher than us. We also did well against Argentina and South Africa who are also a force to be reckoned with," he said. Junaid, who was a part of Pakistan’s 1992 Olympics team that won bronze, also took a shot at former players. "Many Olympians who are complaining right now had their chances. The team failed miserably under them and faced heavy defeats even against weaker opponents. At least we have maintained our position," he said. ANI