Former Olympians and fans on Saturday mourned the "darkest day" in Pakistan's sporting history after the former field hockey titans failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time ever.
Pakistan went down 2-1 to South Korea in the Asia Cup semi-final in Malaysia on Friday, a tournament they needed to win to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in the Netherlands.
Former captain Islahuddin Siddiqui said their downfall was “tragic”.
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“This is the darkest day in our sports in general and hockey in particular,” Islahuddin told AFP. Pakistan won the inaugural competition in 1971 and triumphed again in 1978, 1982 and 1994.
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