Chandigarh: The nasty incident that spoiled the show during the last final of the Third Premier Hockey League, during which Sher-e-Jalandhar players roughed up umpire Satinder Sharma, has once again turned the spotlight on the unruly behaviour of players. Last year, another Sher-e-Jalandhar player, Muhammad Saqlain, was shown a red card for allegedly shouting at umpire Satinder Sharma and throwing his hockey stick. Instead of a harsh punishment like making the former Pakistan captain sit out for the next match, Saqlain was let off with just a warning. Sources said that even the fine of Rs 10,000 imposed on Saqlain was waived off later on. The Indian Express spoke to some experts on the issue. Commenting on yesterday’s incident, former international umpire Kukoo Walia, who is the umpire manager for the Federation Internationale de Hockey and IHF, said that rowdy behaviour of the players is the bane of domestic hockey in India. “The players have to be reined in. You cannot allow them to act like hooligans. Strict action is needed to keep such untoward incidents in check,” said Kukoo, who is also the member of FIH and Asian Hockey Federation umpiring committees. He also said it is the duty of federation and organising committees to ensure that players follow the rules, without any display of strong-arm tactics. “Umpires usually end up being blamed for their errors and are even manhandled. The only deterrent could be imposing bans on players who cross their limits. The IHF should take up this issue on priority basis,” Kukoo opined, while speaking from New Delhi.
