BEIJING, Aug 8: Pakistan’s Saqlain Muhammad is desperate to shed his image as a spoilt brat when he finally makes his Olympic debut after missing the previous two editions due to bad behaviour.

Charges of misconduct and violent outbursts, which left his coaches frustrated and sent rivals scurrying for cover, have overshadowed the brilliant stickwork of the temperamental midfielder.

Saqlain, 30, wants to make amends and is now the pivot of the three-time Olympic champions looking for their first major title since the 1994 World Cup.

“We are good enough to win the gold medal and I am totally focussed on ensuring Pakistan does well in Beijing,” he said.

That the experienced and wily Saqlain is part of the Olympics should itself be a cause of celebration for him and his team-mates.

He was first picked for the Sydney Games in 2000 as a promising 22-year-old, but omitted from the squad at the last minute by then coach Islahuddin Siddiqui for unspecified charges of misconduct.

Four years later, Pakistan’s Dutch coach Roelant Oltmans threw him out before the team left for Athens when he assaulted team-mate Adnan Ashraf during the pre-Olympic camp.

Saqlain, however, learnt nothing from what many would regard a humiliating experience.

A year later in 2005, Saqlain shattered the jaw of Australian Craig Victory with a violent on-field assault during a tournament in Hamburg and was suspended for three matches by the International Hockey Federation.

Pakistani officials and Saqlain shrewedly appealed against the ban to the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), knowing he would be allowed to play pending a decision.

By the time CAS upheld the ban and fined Saqlain 3,000 dollars in May, 2006, he had already turned out for Pakistan in the 2005 Champions Trophy in India and the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

“I play my hockey with zeal and aggression, and that is not a sin,” Saqlain said, defending his confrontational behaviour.

“I want to forget the past and concentrate on what lies ahead for me in Beijing.

“I always wanted to play in the Olympics. It was very disappointing to miss out on Sydney and Athens, but now I am here and want to make up for the lost time.”

Saqlain showed he meant business when he emerged the top scorer with 11 goals from 13 matches during Pakistan’s pre-Olympic tour of Europe earlier in the year.

The tour included winning a four-nation tournament in Belgium, a success Saqlain felt would help his team at the Olympics.

“We have been scoring a lot of field goals lately and that is a good sign,” he said, referring to Pakistan’s past dependence on their former penalty corner specialist Sohail Abbas.

Pakistan are drawn in a tough preliminary group that includes defending champions Australia and the Netherlands, the favourites for the two semi-final spots from the group.

But Saqlain said the sweltering heat and humidity, besides two relatively easier openers against Britain and Canada, will benefit Pakistan.

“We are used to playing in this weather, the other teams are not,” he said. “If we can win both our first two matches, we will have a good chance of making the semi-finals.”—AFP