The highly awaited men’s hockey quarterfinal at the Paris Olympics 2024 between India and Great Britain was struck by controversy when Great Britain goalkeeper Ollie Payne was, initially, allowed to view the penalty shoot-out on an iPad.
Hockey India raise concern regarding refereeing
Condemning the incident, Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey said that such disturbances in a high level match have to be prevented. Nothing, notepads or any such device, should be allowed near the shootout area, according to Tirkey, as sometimes they can cause a disturbance in the minds of the players.
The unflappable manner in which Shivendra Singh, a support staff, quietly removed the offending iPad because of his hawk-eyed observation did not go unnoticed. “People at the back do so much to make things right during the match. I think they are very important,” Gagan Narang said.
Amit Rohit das was given red card during the hockey quarter-final between India and Great Britain at Paris Olympics.
Inconsistent Video Umpire Reviews
Questions have also been raised by Hockey India over the quality of the umpiring at the Olympics. They pointed to inconsistent video umpire reviews, which include the red card shown to Indian defender Amit Rohit das. It looked very subjective, as many believed that Rohit das actions were actually a biomechanical movement rather than deliberate to cause injury.
Coaching During Shoot-Out
In addition, coaching for the Great Britain goalkeeper during the shootout was also a question that Hockey India raised, and it could be contended that this was a situation in which some fair play was broken. The case of Payne using an iPad further infuriated people on rule adherence and fairness issues in the competition.
In sum, the India-Great Britain quarterfinal clash at the London Olympics has exposed grossly flawed umpiring and blatant denial of fair play, forcing Hockey India to seek more consistent and cautious officiating in such an important match.
