Prerana Toshniwal, Pune
Once the celebration over India’s victory settled down, Hockey India raised concerns over the refereeing during the match and officially called for a review. This came after Indian player, Amit Rohindas, was shown a red card sending him off pitch for over 40 minutes of the game. Additionally, he has been issued a one match suspension which means he cannot play in the semi finals on Tuesday, 6th August, against the German team. This also means that India will play this match with a 15 member squad instead of 16.
Following this, Hockey India, has challenged this red card decision over “inconsistent video umpire reviews”. They further added that this has eroded trust in the video review system. Two other issues regarding the shoot-out were also highlighted in the official complaint. British goalkeeper, Ollie Payne, was getting coaching advice from behind the goalpost during the shoot-out. It has also been noted that he was using a tablet during the same shoot-out. These two incidents were also reported in the complaint.
In their statement to the media, Hockey India have expressed that these incidents have undermined confidence in the officiating process among players, coaches, and fans. Hence, they have called for a thorough review of these matters to uphold the integrity of the sport and ensure fair play in the future matches.
The video umpire for the match had ruled that Rohidas’s stick-raising was an intentional attempt to cause harm to another player. However, a number of viewers claimed that it was unintentional and that it was part of his natural biomechanical movement. Nevertheless, this suspension could prove to be a major setback for the team because the defender has been a key member and has started in each of India’s matches.
For the uninitiated, despite being one player short the Indian team won the quarter final of Men’s Hockey tournament by defeating Britain 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at full time. The Indian Men’s hockey team had bagged a bronze medal in the 2020 Olympics played in Tokyo. On Tuesday, 6th August, they will be playing the semi-finals against Germany.