When Manzoor Hussain led Pakistan to its third Olympics title in 1984, he was simply continuing in the tradition of the proud Greenshirts. It was a monumental achievement but did not come as a huge surprise for the millions of fans who had been following the ‘Kings of Hockey’ over the decades.

They were invincible.

Thirty-one years later, Pakistan have not only failed to qualify for the Olympics for the first time in its history, they rank 10th in the world below New Zealand and Korea.

In 2014, the team failed to secure a spot in the World Cup for the first time in its illustrious history. The year 2015 brought along with it more darkness for the national game.

Pakistan struggled in the Olympic qualifiers and won just one game in a four-team tournament held in Australia this year. Their only victory came against Korea

Former goalkeeper Mansoor Ahmed, whose penalty stroke save in the final helped Pakistan win their World Cup title in 1994, said Pakistan were suffering because of low fitness standards and a lack of quality coaches.

“We did not keep pace with the changes in hockey,” he said.

“Our players lack fitness, the officials and coaches are not fit for the task and above all, political influence destroyed our game.”

Pakistan head coach Shahnaz Shaikh and skipper Mohammad Imran, meanwhile, blamed the lack of funding for the team's failure to qualify for the Olympics.

Imran said the lack of funding had left the players fending for themselves.

“You can't compete at international level eating chickpeas and bread,” he said, referring to the players' diet in the pre-tournament camps.

“We lived on a meagre $20 daily allowance in Belgium, which was very tough on players.”

The debacle led to the resignation of Shahnaz Sheikh and former player Hanif Khan is currently serving the dual role of manager and coach.

Federation revamp and the blame game

The continuous disappointments eventually forced changes in the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) as well.

President Akhtar Rasool and Secretary Rana Mujahid resigned to make way for Khalid Sajjad Khokar and Shahbaz Senior respectively in August and September.

The dire financial condition of the national body also led to Pakistan’s absence at the all-important Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and the legacy of shifting the blame continued.

“No steps were taken regarding the team’s performance or the development of the game in the country,” said Shahbaz while talking to Dawn.

Shifting focus on juniors

The Pakistan junior hockey team was better than seniors but they too did not produce too many noteworthy performances.

They finished at the bottom of the table in the six-nation Sultan of Johor Cup and had to had to settle for a silver medal in the Junior Asia Cup which India won.

For the Pakistan fans that was some relief as the team qualified for the 2016 Junior World Cup courtesy their second place finish.

According to Shahbaz, the breeding grounds for future hockey players had been completely destroyed and concrete measure were needed for the reemergence of the national sport.

“The hockey culture from schools and colleges has completely diminished,” said the former Olympian.

The new PHF management aims to focus more on the junior cup for the years to come.

The Junior Asia Cup set to be held in 2016 is an important event for the national side and for further development, the PHF has planned tours to Europe and Australia for the juniors.

April’s Azlan Shah Cup will also set the tone for the senior team’s year, provided they participate in it.