The Indian men’s hockey team has received a jolt ahead of their Paris Olympics semifinal against Germany and are already at a disadvantage in their quest for a place in the final after 44 years.
The Tokyo Olympics bronze medallists will have only 15 players available to play the last-four clash instead of a full squad of 16 after defender Amit Rohidas was suspended for one match following his red card in the quarterfinal against Great Britain.
Why Amit Rohidas get a red card?
The 31-year-old Rohidas was spotted swinging his stick across the face of British forward Will Calnan in the second quarter of the match on Sunday. The on-field umpire did not rule the offense serious to get a red card, but Rohidas was shown red and given the marching orders after a video referral.
Subsequently, India played the British team with 10 players for more than 40 minutes. However, the Harmanpreet Singh-led side defended heroically, thanks largely to PR Sreejesh’s presence in the goalpost, to hold onto the 1-1 scoreline and take the game to a shootout.
After the match, India officially raised a concern “about the quality of umpiring and decision-making” and citied “several inconsistencies in officiating” that “potentially influenced the game’s outcome”.
Among the issues raised by India were “inconsistent video umpire reviews, particularly regarding the red-card decision” and the fact that the British goalkeeper was being coached from behind the goalpost during the shootout.
“Hockey India calls for a thorough review of these matters to uphold the integrity of the sport and ensure fair play in future matches,” the complaint read.
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