Pakistan’s hockey team officials found themselves under scrutiny after the team was penalized for fielding six players instead of the permitted five for its five-a-side match against India in Muscat, Oman.This happened on Friday right after the start of the match, when the players noticed that Pakistan had six players on the field. Under the rules of the five-a-side format, only five players are allowed.The players immediately punished Pakistan by sending off two players, reducing the team to just three players on the field. India made good use of numbers and defeated their main rivals Pakistan 7-3.The former president of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) was not happy after hearing the news and demanded an explanation from the team management, which includes head coach Tahir Zaman and coaches Rehan Butt, Qamar Ibrahim and Umar Bhutta, PTI reported.
CJP Jantar Mantar Exhibition Updates
The management told the board that the confusion happened because some players did not understand what the coaches were talking about, a PTI report said.This is not the first time that Pakistan has faced such problems in an international tournament.During the 2022 Men’s Hockey season Asia Cup in Jakarta, Pakistan committed a similar mistake in the qualifiers against Japan. Their late equalizer was denied after the referees found that Pakistan had 12 players instead of the 11 allowed on the field.The result denied Pakistan qualification for the 2023 Hockey World Cup, after which head coach Khawaja Junaid was banned for life by the Pakistan Hockey Federation.The ban was later lifted, and Junaid is now back as one of the main group managers.