Mumbai, Mar 12: The Indian hockey team, which failed to qualify for the Olympics for the first time in 80 years, returned home in the wee hours this morning with coach Joaquim Carvalho blaming poor umpiring as one of the reasons for the debacle.

Carvalho, who had decided to resign owning moral responsibility for the fiasco, said there was nothing wrong with the preparation but the team failed to play to their potential when it mattered the most.

India lost to Great Britain 0-2 in the final of the qualifying event in Santiago, Chile, and the disappointment was evident on the part of the players who looked grim and tired after the long flight home.

"The preparation went on the right lines and even now we have a very good team. I am not giving lame excuses, but it is just that we did not play to our potential and we lost the final," Carvalho told reporters at the airport just after the team landed.

The coach was critical of the umpiring standard in the tournament, saying his boys were at the receiving end of "unnecessary booking".

"We played with ten players for 25 minutes (against Great Britain) and got cards, which was not deserving. The umpires reprimanded even those players who did not get a card. They issued letters and called the players from hotel rooms after the matches at 11 pm at night. And after that the boys were kept waiting for more than one hour by the umpires," he added.

Carvalho recalled a match in which the umpires issued warnings against his boys that if they commit a foul in one match they (players) will be pulled up in the next one.

He said he would take up the matter with the Indian Hockey Federation when he submits a report.

"I will certainly take up this issue when submit my report to the Federation," he said.

Asked whether he would reconsider his resignation, he said, "I will have to consider with what the federation decides. I haven't spoken to Gill yet. But certainly with the resignation, the morale in the team is very low."

Team doesn't need drastic changes: Carvalho

Notwithstanding India's failure to qualify for the Olympics for the first time in 80 overs, chief hockey coach Joaquim Carvalho today said there was no need to make drastic changes in the team "to cover up the loss".

"As of now I don't think there should be any drastic changes made to the team. I can't suggest any structural changes, but I can only do so as far as team building is concerned," he said.

Carvalho, who has decided to step down as the coach following the debacle, said he will submit his report to the Indian Hockey Federation president KPS Gill soon.

He said that one should not attribute the loss to the lack of experience in the team.

"We had enough experience in players like Dilip Tirkey, Prabhjot Singh and some of them had already played in the World Cup," the coach said.

Speaking on the controversy regarding Consultant Ric Charlesworth not traveling to Chile reportedly at his behest, Carvalho said that he was not the authority to decide.

"I don't know who has not allowed Ric Charlesworth to go to Chile. I am not the authority to not allow him to visit Chile," he said.

Defending the team, Carvalho said the boys played well throughout the tournament and it was just one bad day that cost the team its ticket to Beijing Olympics.

"It is a big set back as Olympics is a big event and every sportsman wants to be an Olympian and more so I feel sorry for the young team. 14 of them would have gone on to be Olympians," he said.

Players need love and support, says Negi

New Delhi: Wiser from his own experience, 'Chak de India'-fame coach Mir Ranjan Negi says the country should back the hockey players to the hilt in their hour of crisis following the Indian team's failure to qualify for the Olympics for the first time in 80 years.

Negi, who was branded by many as a "traitor" and "fixer" after India lost to Pakistan 1-7 in the final of 1982 New Delhi Asian Games, said the beleaguered players need "love and support" to overcome this tragedy.

"Winning and losing is part of the game although this is the biggest blow to Indian hockey. There is no need to overreact or being harsh to the players. They are mentally very disturbed and we need to shower love, support and faith on them," the former goalkeeper told PTI in an interview.

"Nobody better understands the situation of players than me. I have gone through the same phase in my career. My experience says that we should back our players," said Negi.

Indian hockey team lost to Great Britain 0-2 in the final of the Olympic qualifying event in Santiago, Chile, and the Indian Hockey Federation bore the brunt of the anger and anguish from former players and fans.

But, Negi does not want to be dragged into the politics of Indian hockey and would only express his sympathy for the players.