KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) had not anticipated the Speedy Tigers missing out on the semi-finals at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
MHC is deeply dejected and disappointed, as it had hoped the team would, at the very least, make it to the final.
This expectation was based on their previous successes, such as their appearance in the finals of the Asia Cup and Asian Champions Trophy and their victory in the Azlan Shah Cup.
MHC president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal expressed his disappointment with the way the team played against South Korea and China, as the initial goal was to see them in the final.
Making it to the final would have improved their ranking and determined their Olympic qualifying group in Oman or Spain in January.
"I am disappointed with the way they played against South Korea and China, as we wanted them to play in the final," said Subahan Kamal on Tuesday.
He noted: "India are currently too hot to handle, and although Malaysia were ready to take on the challenge and prove a point, I was shocked by the team's performance against Korea and China.
"It's not the time to point fingers, but rather a time to support our coach and players in achieving their goal of Olympic qualification."
The team that secure the gold medal in Hangzhou will earn a direct qualification to the Olympics in Paris next year.
For teams ranked second to fifth in the women's tournament and second to sixth in the men's tournament, there will be a second opportunity to qualify for the Olympics via the qualifiers.
Malaysia and Pakistan have already secured their places in the Olympic qualifier, as they will be competing in the fifth-sixth bracket in Hangzhou.
However, the Malaysian women's team must defeat Thailand to claim the fifth spot and secure their qualification ticket.
Subahan stressed that the turning point in the men's tournament came when China defeated Korea, opening up Group B.
'However, the Malaysians players need to take the blame for missing a penalty stroke, penalty corners and sitters in both the China and Korea matches," Subahan added.
Despite the setback, MHC retains faith in their coaching setup and players, believing that they will rise to the occasion in the qualifier.