Six Pakistan players in five-a-side hockey game, hands India embarrassing mistake | Hockey News

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The management of Pakistan’s hockey team has come under scrutiny after the side was penalized for fielding six players instead of the permitted five during its five-a-side international match against India in Muscat, Oman.The incident happened on Friday shortly after the match started, when the umpires noticed that Pakistan had six players on the field. Under the rules of the five-a-side format, only five players are allowed.The umpires then punished Pakistan by sending off two players, reducing the team to three players on the field. India made full use of the numerical advantage and defeated arch rivals Pakistan 7-3.The interim president of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) was not happy after learning of the incident and demanded an explanation from the team’s management, which included chief coach Tahir Zaman and coaches Rehan Butt, Qamar Ibrahim and Umar Bhutta, PTI reported.

The management told the federation that the confusion occurred because some players did not understand the communication from the coaching staff, said a PTI report.This is not the first time that Pakistan has faced such an issue in an international tournament.During the 2022 Men’s Hockey Asia Cup in Jakarta, Pakistan made a similar mistake in a qualification match against Japan. Their late equalizer was disallowed after the umpires found that Pakistan had 12 players instead of the permitted 11 on the field.That result denied Pakistan qualification for the 2023 Hockey World Cup, and then head coach Khawaja Junaid was given a life ban by the Pakistan Hockey Federation.The ban was later lifted, and Junaid is now back as part of the management of the senior team.