The Indian men's hockey team secured a thrilling win against Great Britain on Sunday, which took them to the semifinal of the Paris Olympics 2024. The win was special for many reasons but the fact that India were reduced to 10-men early in the second quarter, added an extra layer of icing on the cake. Harmanpreet Singh, team's skipper, once again rose to the occasion and broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute by converting a penalty corner, a skill that has always given India an extra edge in such set-pieces.
However, Great Britain were quick to respond as they levelled things up in the next five minutes after a rebound of PR Sreejesh's foot went straight to Lee Morton standing unmarked in front of the goal. The player had no problem sending the ball past the Indian goalie, who arguably delivered one of his finest performances of his career considering the occasion.
With the score settled at 1-1 and India being a man less on the field, Great Britain dominated the proceedings but India's watertight defence along with Sreejesh's brilliance ensured the score remained 1-1 throughout the regulation time.
With the match heading to shootout and the equation once again being on level terms, India went to secure a thrilling 4-2 win against Great Britain.
However, just hours later it was informed that Hockey India have lodged a complaint about the "quality of umpiring and decision-making" in the match. An official statement was released by the Indian hockey governing body confirming the same on Sunday evening.
“The complaint focuses on a critical match between India and Great Britain, where several inconsistencies in officiating potentially influenced the game’s outcome,” the statement read.
This was in regard to Amit Rohidas, who received a red card on directions of the video referee, after it deemed the player had intentionally hit William Calnan's face with his stick. It took place when Rohidas was charging with the ball, but lost possession as two Great Britain players came from either sides. In the process to retrieve the ball, Rohidas' stick hit Calnan on his face, following which the latter immediately went to the ground.
Three key issues highlighted in the statement were:
1. "Inconsistent video umpire reviews, particularly regarding the red card decision for an Indian player, which has eroded trust in the video review system."
2. "Coaching of a goalkeeper from behind the goalpost during the shoot-out."
3. "Use of a video tablet by a goalkeeper during the shoot-out."
"These incidents have undermined confidence in the officiating process among players, coaches, and fans. Hockey India calls for a thorough review of these matters to uphold the integrity of the sport and ensure fair play in future matches," it further read.
Rohidas' participation in the much important semifinal remains uncertain for now. In football a red card implies that the player is ruled out of selection for the next match. However, it is slightly different in hockey as it is up to the technical delegate to examine the footage and decide if the foul was intentional or not.
Meanwhile, another controversy broke out after Great Britain goalkeeper's Ollie Payne was seen using a iPad during the tensed shootout. The iPad was handed over to Great Britain's assistant coach after it came to light that the goalkeeper was using the device to consult notes before each shootout.
Despite that it made no major difference as skipper Harmanpreet, Sukhjeet Singh, Lalit Upadhyay and Rajkumar Pal converted their respective shootouts.
Great Britain James Albery and Zach Wallace managed to score, while Conor Williamson's attempt went wide of the goalpost. Sreejesh then denied Phillip Roger, which proved more than enough to send India to the semifinals.
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