Indian football is far behind China: Houghton

DOHA: Indian Football team coach Bob Houghton on Monday gave a thumbs down to the country as far as comparison with in terms of development of the sport is concerned.

In pic: Indian football coach Bob Houghton

In charge of the Indian team since 2006, the widely travelled Houghton, with decades of coaching experience, took care of China's national team from 1997 and 1999.

Asked why Indian football was lagging behind its neighbour despite the country making rapid progress in other fields over the past few years, Houghton said: "In India we do not have one decent training ground, we only have one stadium in the whole of the country that meets the criteria to hold a World Cup qualifier, and that is an athletics stadium in Chennai."

"China has wonderful facilities. In Shanghai I stayed most of the time, the facilities there alone were more than in all of India put together," he said.

"If you don't have the infrastructure and the development programmes then you can't make that step forward, so there is no comparison between India and China.

"I'd say to India that this is what we can achieve if we set out our goals properly," said the 61-year-old former Fulham player on the sidelines of the AFC Asian Cup football tournament.

India qualified for the continental showpiece event by virtue of winning the AFC Challenge Cup in August 2008, thus breaking a 24-year-old jinx.

"This tournament is a step up for us, but if India wants to improve then it needs to do something about the domestic football programme, its infrastructure, its coach training programmes and so on. Because they are all crucial to the game." -PTI

Six Indians in Asian All Stars hockey team

Past masters of the game, India got recognition for playing some good hockey in last month's Asian Games in Guangzhou, China with as many as six of its players making it to the Asian All Stars team. Ace drag-flicker, Sandeep Singh shared the honours with captain Rajpal Singh, midfielder Arjun Halappa and defender Gurbaj Singh in the men's category while in the women's section defender Joydeep Kaur and 16-year-old striker Rani Rampal made the cut, according to a Hockey India release.

The All Star team was selected recently by the Asian Hockey Federation based on the performance of the Guangzhou Games, where the Indian men's team won a bronze medal but the eves missed out on the podium, finishing fourth. The two teams selected by the Asian Hockey Federation are as under: Men: Goalkeepers: Kumar Subramaniam (Malaysia), Salman Akbar (Pakistan) Defenders: Md. Razie (Malaysia), Sandeep Singh (India), Gurbaj Singh (India), Hu Huiren (China) Midfielders: Yeo Woon Kon (Korea), Lee Nam Yong (Korea), Tsuvouchi Kazuhiro (Japan), Ozawa Kazuyuki (Japan), Arjun Halappa (India), Rashid Muhammad (Pakistan) Forwards: Rajpal Singh (India), Seo Jongho (Korea), Jang Jong Hyun (Korea), Tenku Abdul Rahid Jalil (Malaysia), Rehan Butt (Pakistan), Na Yubo (China) Women: Goalkeepers: Zhang Yimeng (China), Lee Seon OK (Korea) Defenders: Ma Yibo (China), Li Shuang (China), Joydeep Kaur (India), Mayumi Ono (Japan), Irina Dobrioglo (Kazakhstan) Ratnaporn Shangpranam (Thailand) Midfielders: Song Quingling (China), Park Seonmi (Korea), Kim Darae (Korea), Yukari Yamamoto (Japan), Nadia Abdul Rehman (Malaysia) Forwards: Zhao Yudiao (China), Fu Baorong (China), Park Mi Hyun (Korea), Rani (India), Kaori Chiba (Japan). -PTI

A dream come true, says Saina

"It is like a dream come true," Indian badminton ace Saina Nehwal said on Sunday after defeating China's Shixian Wang to win the Hong Kong Open Super Series. "I am very happy that I am finishing the year like this. It is like a dream come true," Saina told TimesNow television channel.

She said it was really important to win the Hong Kong Open after the Asian Games where she failed to make a mark.

In pic: Saina Nehwal flaunts her gold medal after winning the Hong Kong Open badminton Super Series/AP

Saina defeated Chinese champion Shixian 15-21, 21-16, 21-17 to claim her career's fourth Super Series badminton title and the third of the year.

She said that after losing the first game, she became confident "because I was moving well on the court... I knew she would hit some strokes... The third was set was very crucial.

"I was very, very confident throughout. I was always confident after the second game."

Saina said she wanted to prove herself. "Winning this match was very important for me. I am really happy." -IANS

Asian games: Closing ceremony pics

Spectacular fireworks bring curtains down on Asian Games

Guangzhou: The skies lit up with dazzling fireworks as an emotional China brought the curtains down on the biggest Asian Games in a riot of colour, foot-tapping music and a cultural extravaganza at the Haixinsha Island on the Pearl River here today. If the opening ceremony held at the same riverside venue on November 12th was high on technical wizardry, the closing was a heart-touching display of warmth by the people of this South China city whose infrastructure has improved remendously as a result of hosting the Games which saw India record their best-ever medal haul till date. India finished sixth on the medal rostrum with a record 14 gold, 17 silver and 33 bronze for an overall tally of 64, eclipsing their earlier record of 57 medals in the 1982 Asian Games in Delhi.

In pic: Indian athletes arrive during the Closing Ceremony of the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China on Saturday. Photo: AP

The closing ceremony was also used by the Games hosts to present cultural segments representing the different regions of the continent, including South Asia in which Indian singers Ravi Tripathi and Tanya Gupta enthralled the capacity crowd. Hosts China were unstoppable in their relentless march to titles and at the end of the Games had an incredible harvest of 199 gold in an overall haul of over 400 medals, proving once again that they are in the top-most echelons of world sports. Korea finished way behind in second place while Japan were third that underlined the fact that the Asian Games, the second largest sports event after the Olympic Games, are still being overwhelmingly dominated by the far eastern nations of the continent. The prelude to the official part of the ceremony was punctuated by dance of Qiling (a legendary animal symbolizing good luck) to celebrate the success of the Games that was followed by an exhibition of acrobatics and dance. Performers staged "Dragon drunk on the Pearl River", "Painting of Toy figuring in Emotion" and "Wind of the Yao Ethnic Group" dances while flashbacks of the Asian Games actions were shown on sail-shaped screens before the Chinese President Hu Jintao and Olympic Council of Asia Chief Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah entered the arena to the strains of the Chinese Military Band. With nine plumes of red smoke rising up from the Guangzhou Tower, an athlete jumped out of the screen while the eight sail-shaped screens showed some memorable moments of the Games competitions. The plumes changed shape one by one and the fireworks started on the Guangzhou Tower to symbolize the success of the Games and the happiness it produced.

The five-starred red flag of China was unfurled and the hosts national anthem was played by the Military band. A small cultural segment was then presented with fishing lights shaped as starlight and the crescent moon used as major props to create a dream-like atmosphere of changing colours and flowing figures, the images giving the crowd an impression of fairy tales and scenes of fishing. The face of a smiling child appeared which turned into a beautiful girl from this city of ten million who frolics in the night sky amidst the stars. When she extended her hand all the stars and moon fell into her grasp and she, with a laugh, threw the stars and moon to the Games Torch Tower in the centre of the square. As they fell to the ground, hundreds of children appeared like magic and scattered in all directions to form the Asian Games emblem. A ship resembling a crescent moon with singing children on board gently set sail on the front waterway and hundreds of chorus singers with stars in their hands in four groups entered from two sides. A child singer picked up a Lingnan-style fishing lantern made of bamboo splits ecclosed by paper from the water. Almost immediately several fishing lights in different colours appeared on the scene winding in groups or strings through the site as the children with star lights in their hands flashed those lights to give an impression of a sea of lights. This was followed by the representation of India and the Ganga with the holy river appearing on the sail-shaped screen and running towards the famous temples of India while the screen also showed images of the Taj Mahal and modern architecture. Several dancers led by Cai Yushan and Xi Chuhang performed to the singing of Tripathi and Gupta and there were also motorcycle stunts done in front of the Games Torch Tower. One hundred men performers with Indian flower wreaths in their hands danced in two groups behind the bikes and formed two crescent moons on both sides of the Torch Tower while over 1000 chorus members holding multi-coloured Indian light-reflecting towels danced in harmony.

When the two Indian singers came to the front, male dancers ran along the two sides of the Torch Tower to form a triangular pattern and danced with gusto while around 200 women dancers ran out, divided themselves in two groups and performed various Indian dance forms. The men and women dancers came together to form a semi circle they danced together to the song in typical Bollywood style.

The other regions of the continent were also given their prominence in the cultural milieu before flashbacks of the Asian Games competitions and athletes being awarded their medals were shown along with emotional scenes, symbolizing the excitement and harmony that was visible during the Games. The cultural show ended with all the participants coming on to the stage forming different patterns while singing and dancing with abandon to bring an end to the cultural part and the commencement of the formal part of the ceremony with the arrival of the athletes. The Indian flag was carried by gold medal winning star boxer Vijender Singh with his left hand in a cast following the thumb injury he sustained during last night s final against two-time world champion Atoev Abbos of Uzbekistan. OCA President Sheikh Al-Sabah, accompanied by the president of the Chinese Olympic Committee, Liu Peng, executive president of the Games organizing committee Huang Huahua, and the mayor of Guangzhou Wan Qingliang, delivered the keynote address and declared the 16th Asiad closed. The OCA flag was then lowered and the OCA anthem played before the national flag of Korea, the next Games hosts at Incheon in 2014 was raised, in the presence of the vice president of the Korean Olympic Committee and the chief of the Incheon Games organizing committee.

Guangzhou mayor Qingliang handed over the Asian Games torch to the OCA chief who, in turn, handed them over to the mayor of Incheon. Later the flag of the first Games held in Delhi in 1951 and the OCA flag were handed over to the Korean representatives by Huahua and Peng. The Koreans presented a short segment to the accompaniment of percussion instruments and taekwondo, the country s martial arts, which is also part of the Games programme and "Welcome to Incheon" and "See you at Incheon in 2014" were flashed on the screen. The Games flame was extinguished before the fireworks lit up the night sky to signal the end of the closing ceremony.

Asian games: India's best Final Tables

Asian games: Final Tables

MEDAL TALLY

Nation

Total

China

199

119

98

416

S Korea

76

65

91

232

Japan

48

74

94

216

Iran

20

14

25

59

Kazakhstan

18

23

38

79

India

14

17

33

64

C Taipei

13

16

38

67

Uzbekistan

11

22

23

56

Thailand

11

9

32

52

Malaysia

9

18

14

41

Asian Games: Vijender wins 14th gold as India record best ever medal tally

GUANGZHOU: India continued their golden run as star pugilist Vijender Singh punched his way to seal the 14th gold for India after beating Abbos Atoev of Uzbekistan in 75kg bout at the 16th Asian Games.

The ace Indian boxer started the summit clash to take a 2-0 lead in the first round and bettered it to 5-0 after the second round.

Before this bout, Olympic bronze medallist Vijender and Abbos were on an even keel as both had won one bout against each other.

While Vijender beat world champion Atoev Abbos 10-7 in the pre-quarterfinal of the Asian Boxing Championship in Zhuhai, China, Abbos recently settled scores 7-3 in the semifinal of the middleweight category of the World Boxing Championships (WBC) at Milan, Italy.

This gold made up for Vijender's ignominious exit in the recently-concluded 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games.

On Wednesday, world number one Vijender won a nail-biting 75kg semifinal bout against Mohammad Sattapour of Iran 10-7

With the addition of this gold, India's medal tally climbed to a record 14 gold, 15 silver and 33 bronze (total 62), the biggest ever medal haul in the Asian Games so far.

India's best medal haul till date was recorded in the 1982 Games in Delhi when they had won 13 gold, 19 silver and 25 bronze for an overall tally of 57.

Earlier in the day, Indian women's 4X400m relay team of Manjeet Kaur, Sini Jose, Ashwini Akkunji and Mandeep Kaur scripted history by winning the 13th gold.

The men's and women's kabaddi teams expectedly maintained their supremacy by clinching the gold.

Asian games: Indian women 4X400 relay team wins gold, Ashwini bags 2nd gold

Guangzhou: Indian women's 4X400m relay quartet lived up to expectations by defending the gold medal won in 2006 with AC Ashwini anchoring the team to glory in the Asian Games here today. Running in the third leg, Ashwini, who earlier clinched the yellow metal in the 400m hurdles, gave the Indian team a huge lead over second-placed Kazakhstan for Mandeep Kaur to maintain it till the finishing line in 3min 29.02sec.

In pic: The Indian 4x400 relay team, Manjeet Kaur, Shi Jose, Ashwini Chidananda Akkunji and Mandeep Kaur, celebrate after winning

In the first leg, India's Manjeet Kaur was running second before Sini Jose gave a slender lead for Ashwini to take over. Kazakhstan took the silver in 3:30.03 while China claimed the bronze in 3:30.89. With the gold medal here, the Indian quartet have won their second gold in two months in a multi-sporting event, having won the title in the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, though today's effort was well below 3:27.77 in the CWG.

In 2006 Asian Games, Satti Geetha, Pinki Parmanik, Chitra K Soman and Manjeet Kaur had won the gold in 3:32.95.

India win sixth Asian Games gold in men's kabaddi

Guangzhou: Barely hours after Indian women's kabaddi team made a memorable Asian Games debut by clinching the gold, their male counterparts recorded their sixth consecutive yellow metal in the quadrennial event with a comfortable victory over Iran, here today.

In pic: Indian Kabaddi team

The Indian men's team, who clinched the gold in every editionof the quadrennial event since the game's introduction in 1990, managed to prevail over Iran 37-20 at the Nansha Gymnasium here. India led 24-3 at half-time after Iran failed to secure a single lona against India's four. The Indians also got a couple of bonus points in the opening half.

However, after the crossover, Iran was the better side on display and managed to dominate the proceedings, bagging 17 points as against India's 13. But it was not enough to earn them a gold as overall India proved to be a better side with six lonas against two of their opponents and 28 outs to stamp their supremacy in the sport.

Indian women's kabaddi gets Asian Games gold

Guangzhou: The Indian women's kabaddi team completed a memorable Asian Games debut by clinching the gold medal with a comprehensive win over Thailand in the finals here today. The Indians beat Thailand 28-14 in a dominating performance to clinch the inaugural women's kabaddi gold of the Asian Games.

In pic: The Indian women Kabaddi team

The Indians led 17-7 at half-time after Thailand failed to secure a single lona against India's two. The Indian team also got a couple of bonus points in the opening half. The second half followed a similar script and India once again dominated by securing a couple of lonas and getting 20 outs to emerge triumphant.

Asian games: Pakistan's hockey gold sparks off countrywide celebrations

Karachi: Pakistan's first major hockey title in 16-years and their first Asian Games gold medal after 20 years has sparked off countrywide celebrations with former Olympians, government officials and the public singing praises for the national team players. Pakistan's Asian Games final match against Malaysia was watched by thousands of people in offices, marketplaces and parks where giant screens were installed to telecast the match.

The 2-0 victory was greeted by loud cheers, dancing and distribution of sweets in many parts of the country. The federal sports minister, Aijaz Hussain Jahrani and the President of the Pakistan Hockey Federation, Qasim Zia described the win as the life saver for hockey in the country. "We had said all along that our target is the Asian Games. After the World Cup and Commonwealth Games there was despondency but we had said we will win the Asian Games title," said Qasim Zia, a former Olympian. He also said that the Pakistani players deserved a lot of credit and praise for winning the final, while pointing out that hockey required such a major victory to boost its standing in Pakistan and also to reignite interest of the people in the national game. He said Pakistan had played well against the three other Asian giants -- India, South Korea and Malaysia and deserved to win. "We lost to India but were not humiliated and that I think was a stepping stone to this title," he said.

Jakhrani announced that the team would be given a hero's welcome when it return home on Saturday morning from China. "The players and officials who have brought this title for Pakistan will be rewarded by the government with cash awards and other facilities," he added. He said hockey needed a big title win and now Pakistan hockey is on the right path.

"The good thing is that now we have directly qualified for the 2012 London Olympics as well," he said. Former Olympians also praised the performance. "I think the foreign coach, Michel Van Den deserves credit for this massive victory because our hockey had been going downhill for years now," former captain Mansoor Ahmed said. Mansoor, who was a member of the national team that had last won the Asian Games gold medal in Beijing in 1990 and also in the team that won a last major title (1994 World Cup), said although the victory should be celebrated but the authorities should keep an eye on the Olympics as well. "We have shown that we are the best in Asia but we need to work much harder and improve a lot to also beat Australia and the European teams, who play a different level of hockey," he noted.

Former Olympian, Hasan Sardar said the PHF and management should now start grooming new players and begin to rebuild a process in Pakistan hockey. The final match that was closely followed on the streets and in tea shops on television screens saw people dancing and celebrating as soon as the final whistle was blown. "We rarely get to hear some good and positive news so it is great that our hockey team has brought us this joy and given us something to celebrate about," student Nausheen Khan said. As the congratulatory messages poured in from politicians, the President and Prime Minister, even the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said the hockey team had done the nation proud.

Vikas ends boxing gold drought in Asiad, Dinesh gets silver

Guangzhou: Teen sensation Vikas Krishan ended Indian boxing's 12-year-old gold medal drought in the Asian Games by winning the lightweight (60kg) title but Dinesh Kumar (81kg) settled for the silver after losing in the finals here today. India had not won a boxing gold at the Asiad since 1998 when the flamboyant Dingko Singh fetched the bantamweight top honours and it took a little known teenager from Haryana to break the jinx.

The 18-year-old Vikas stunned defending champion Qing Hu of China 5-4 in the lightweight 60kg final that was low on thrill as the Indian decided to play defensive. World Youth champion and a bronze-medallist at the inaugural Youth Olympics, Vikas kept a shell guard which ultimately proved impregnable for his rival. With scores tied 1-1 at the end of the first three minutes, Hu pushed Vikas out of sheer frustration in the second round and was handed a warning which cost him crucial two points.

The warning ultimately proved decisive as the two boxers could manage just one scoring punch each in the final round, which was just enough for Vikas to repeat Dingko's feat. However, Dinesh proved no match for defending champion Uzbek Elshod Rasulov and lost 4-10. The Arjuna awardee was on the backfoot from the word go as Rasulov took the attack to him with a combination of powerful bodyblows and well-timed jabs. Dinesh's attempted uppercuts could neither break Rasulov's defence nor fetch him any points.

Leading 1-0 in the opening round, Rasulov went on a rampage in the next two rounds and Dinesh found it extremely tough to keep pace with the proceedings. Olympic and World Championship bronze-medallist Vijender Singh (75kg), V Santhosh Kumar (64kg) and Manpreet Singh (91kg) are the other three Indian boxers who would be fighting for gold tomorrow. In the 2006 Asiad, India had won a couple of bronze medals and the current performance is a marked improvement from that edition as three more pugilists from the country are scheduled to fight their final bouts tomorrow.

Asian games: Joseph, Ashwini clinch 400m hurdles gold for India

GUANGZHOU: Joseph Abraham and Ashwini Akkunji created history for India by claiming the gold medals in the men's and women's 400m hurdles respectively at the Asian Games.

In pic: Ashwini Chidananda of India celebrates after winning gold

Ashwini Akkunji won the eighth gold for India by clinching the women's 400m hurdles title at the 16th Asian Games, with a timing of 56.15 seconds, in Guangzhou, China.

Earlier in the day, Tintu Luka won the bronze medal in the women's 800 metres event of the track and field competitions at the Asian Games on Thursday.

Tintu, who had a disappointing finish in the New Delhi Commonwealth Games, led the pack right from the start, but couldn't keep pace in the last 50 metres and finished third with a timing of 2:01.36 seconds.

The gold went to Kazhakstan's Margarita Matsko with her personal best timing of 2:00.29 secs while Chinese Truong Thanh Hang with a timing of 2:00.91 secs grabbed the silver.

Tintu's compatriot Sinimole Paulose finished seventh in 2:06.95 secs.

Asian games: Pakistan win back hockey gold after 20 years

Fired-up Pakistan annexed the Asian Games men's hockey gold medal after 20 years with a convincing 2-0 win over Malaysia in the final on Thursday.

In pic: Pakistan celebrates their first goal against Malaysia

Veteran Sohail Abbas put Pakistan ahead with his team's first penalty corner in the 26th minute, before striker Rehan Butt increased the margin three minutes after half-time.

It was Pakistan's eighth Asiad hockey gold, ending a drought that stretched back to Beijing in 1990, and handed them their first major title since winning the World Cup in Sydney in 1994.

Pakistan ended the year on a high after a disappointing eight-month period in which they finished a humiliating 12th out of 12 at the World Cup in March and took sixth place at the Commonwealth Games in October.

The Pakistanis kneeled in prayer after the final whistle, before lifting their Dutch coach Michel van den Heuvel over their shoulders to loud applause from the stands.

Malaysia, often dubbed the sport's perennial under-achievers, had to settle for silver in their maiden appearance in the title clash after winning the bronze medal six times.

The entire Malaysian team, barring Sikh player Baljit Singh, shaved their heads in a practice called 'nazar' to ward off evil spirits in the final, but failed to produce the spark that won them the semi-final against India.

Amin Rahim, whose two late goals sank India, faltered in all three penalty corners his team earned in the second half.

Malaysia had gone into the final as the only unbeaten team in the competition with four wins and a draw.

Meanwhile, India returned to the Asiad podium after missing out in Doha four years ago when they defeated favourites South Korea 1-0 in the bronze medal play-off.

Tushar Khandekar netted the winner four minutes into the second session as India dominated the lacklustre Koreans through the 70-minute encounter.

India had not won an Asiad hockey medal for the first time in Doha and paid the price when they failed to qualify for the Beijing Olympics two years ago.

The Indian players were involved in a heated argument with Pakistani umpire Haider Rasool over a disputed penalty corner in the second half, which the South Koreans ultimately wasted.

India's Spanish coach Jose Brasa, whose contract is up for renewel after this match, said the bronze medal was not a just reward for his team.

"I think we were the best side in the competition, winning five of our six matches," said Brasa. "I can't say I am happy, but at least the boys will not return home empty-handed."

India, who won all their four league matches, were knocked out by a Malaysian golden goal in the semi-final.

South Korea, winners at the last two editions in Busan and Doha, were denied a hat-trick when they lost to Pakistan in a penalty shoot-out in the other semi-final.

The last time the Koreans finished fourth was in Beijing in 1990.

Asian games: India defeat Korea to win bronze in men's hockey

The Indian men's hockey team lifted itself from the disappointment of missing a final berth and clinched the bronze medal after defeating four-time champions South Korea in the third-place playoff at the Asian Games here today. India beat the 2002 and 2006 champions with a lone second half goal through Tushar Khandekar to end their campaign on a better note than four years ago in Doha where they ended up a poor fifth.

Having their dreams of winning the gold destroyed by the 3-4 defeat against Malaysia in the semifinals, the Rajpal Singh-led side outsmarted the fitter and faster Koreans. By virtue of this bronze, India ended their eight year-long medal drought in the quadrennial event after having finished on the podium (silver) in the 2002 Busan Games. India's win also ended double defending champions South Korea's honeymoon in Asian Games hockey.
This is the first instance since the 1986 Seoul Games that they finished without a medal. India held on to the 40th minute field goal notched by Khandekar who, left unmarked in front of the Korean goal, pushed in a long diagonal hit into the D sent in by Gurbaj Singh, for the all-important goal at the Aoti hockey field. The Indians kept the pace down in the first half against the speedy Koreans and then upped the ante in the second half in which they got their match-winner but also muffed a couple of golden opportunities to score more.
The player of the match for India was goalkeeper Bharat Chetri who brought off fine saves in defending the penalty corners in which the Koreans are adept with variations. Korea earned two penalty corners in the opening half and one in the second but all came to naught due to Chetri's fine stint under the Indian bar who leaped to his right and blocked the drag-flicks from the rival players. India were also unsuccessful with the two penalty corner efforts they got, one of which taken indirectly when Sandeep Singh relayed the ball to Dhananjay Mahadik who essayed a shot that should have gone in but for Korean defender and captain Lee Nam Yong making a goal-line save in the 24th minute.
The second half was completely dominated by the Indians who did not allow the Koreans to penetrate their D except once when the latter got a short corner award that was hotly disputed as the ball rose off the stick of Bharat Chikara, who tried to block a through pass from Kim Youngjin, and hit a Korean forward inside the penalty circle.
Luckily for India, the Koreans could not convert this gift given to them by Pakistan umpire H Rasool into the equalizer that they were desperately searching for. The Indian defence held on to the early second half lead given by Khandekar till the end and walked off with the bronze. The Indians should have scored two more goals but for the misses by Rajpal Singh in the 50th minute off a centre from the left by Sardar Singh. Khandekar had all the time in the world to put the ball in and complete a brace in the 63rd minute from the top of the circle but hit it wide of the post, after Rajpal did the spadework.
Coach Jose Brasa, whose stint has come to an end with the end of India's campaign in the Games, raised a controversy after the match saying that the late equaliser by Malaysia against India should not have been awarded at all. "The equaliser against us in the semifinal (off a short corner award) was no penalty corner at all. We saw the video of the match and that penalty corner should not have been given, just as the penalty corner today awarded against us in the second half was no penalty corner," said the Spaniard. Overall Brasa said the Indians had played good hockey throughout the tournament. "We played very good hockey but I am not happy that we are not going back with the gold medal.
Today we controlled the game very well and did not allow the Koreans to touch our D at all in the second half. We had the opportunity to score the second and third goals," he said about the missed chances in the second half. He also rubbished reports that the entire support staff of the team had resigned. Skipper Rajpal said though the team did not achieve the purpose for which it came here, to win gold and qualify for the London Olympic Games in 2012, he was confident it will make it to the Olympics through the forthcoming qualifiers if it can play the way it did today. "The purpose for which we came here was not achieved. We played very god hockey today and if we continue to play the way we did today we should qualify for the Olympics," he said. Sardar Singh said the team was happy to play under Brasa.
"It will be good if he stays on. If you have seen the team play before (Brasa's arrival) and here you would notice the difference. The entire team is happy to play under Brasa. "We have played well in this tournament but for the last 4-5 minutes (of regular time) against Malaysia," he added. Goalkeeper Chetri said that the team was motivated after the shock defeat against Malaysia to go back from here with at least one medal. "We were motivated to win a medal. We are happy we could do it though it is not the gold," he said.

Asian Games: India's hockey coach quits after semi-final loss

Indian men's hockey team national coach Harendra Singh on Tuesday resigned from his post after his side crashed out of the Asian Games final with a 3-4 defeat by Malaysia in the second semifinal in Guangzhou, China.

In pic: Malaysia celebrates semi-final win

India's hopes of a gold medal and a direct berth in the 2012 London Olympics were dashed by a spirited Malaysia, who rode on Muhammad Amin Rahim's 75th minute golden goal to progress to their maiden title clash, where they will meet seven-time champions Pakistan, on Thursday.

Soon after the unexpected loss, Harendra tendered his resignation to Hockey India secretary general Narinder Batra taking full responsibility of the team's disastrous showing in the semifinal.

"Keeping in view of the dismal performance of the men's hockey team in the semifinal match against Malaysia today, I hereby tender my resignation as the national coach of the men's hockey team with immediate effect," he wrote in his resignation letter to Batra.

"I accept the moral responsibility for the debacle at the 16the Asian Games," Harendra added.

In his resignation letter, he also thanked the HI and various government bodies apart from the players and his colleagues for their support during his association with the national team.

"I am grateful to Hockey India, Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, Government of India and Sports Authority of India for all the support and encouragement I received during my tenure as a national coach.

"I am thankful to all the officials of the said organisations for giving me this wonderful opportunity to serve for the country. I would also convey my gratitude for the kind of unconditional support I received from my countrymen as well as well wishers form various countries during the said appointment," he wrote.

"I would also like to put on record the support I received from the members of the media. I would fail in my duty If I do not convey my sincere thanks to all my players and support staffs who stood by me in each and every occasion during this eventful tenure. I wish all the luck to the Indian men's hockey team for the future," Harendra signed off.

However, Batra said, in no way, the federation would accept Harendra's resignation at this crucial juncture and had asked him to continue with the job.

"I had received his mail and also talked with him over phone. I told him that it is not right to be emotional. We have a bronze medal match to play and I asked him to concentrate on that match," Batra told.

"It is good that he has taken moral responsibility but it is not the right time to take this step. All this can be sorted out after returning to India. I asked him to be with the team and work together so that we can return with the bronze medal," he added.