Amit Rohidas Handed One-Match Ban, To Miss Olympics 2024 Hockey Semifinal

Indian men's hockey team player Amit Rohidas was handed an one-match ban after he was shown a red card in the Paris Olympics 2024 quarterfinal match against Great Britain on Sunday. As a result, he will miss India's semifinal encounter on Tuesday. During the second quarter of the match against Great Britain, Rohidas was dribbling in the midfield when his stick hit a rival player and he was shown a red card by the on-field umpire. Although India had to play majority of the match with just 10 men, they ended up clinching the encounter in shootout with PR Sreejesh emerging as their top performer.

Earlier, Hockey India officially raised concerns about the quality of umpiring and decision-making.

Key issues highlighted included:

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," the official statement from Hockey India read.

Coming to the match, India produced a gritty performance to clinch the encounter in the shootout.

Harmanpreet Singh handed India the lead in the 22nd minute but Lee Morton scored just five minutes later to bring England back into the game. The red card did cause a bit of problem for India but they kept the opponents at bay with Sreejesh pulling off couple of impressive saves. In the shootout, India converted all of their chances and stopped England from scoring twice to win 4-2.