Pakistan’s hockey team management is under scrutiny after they were punished for fielding six players instead of the allowed five in a five-a-side international match against India in Muscat, Oman.The incident occurred shortly after the start of Friday’s match when the referee noticed that Pakistan had six players on the field. According to the rules of the five-a-side game, only five players are allowed to take the field.The referee immediately punished the Pakistani team and sent off two players, leaving the team with only three players. India made full use of their numerical advantage to defeat their old rival Pakistan 7-3.According to PTI, the interim president of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) was unhappy after learning about the incident and demanded an explanation from the team management, which included head coach Tahir Zaman and coaches Rehan Butt, Qamar Ibrahim and Umar Bhutta.
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A PTI report said the management told the federation that the confusion occurred because some players did not understand the communication from the coaching staff.This is not the first time that Pakistan has faced such problems in international events.During the 2022 Men’s Hockey Tournament asian cup In Jakarta, Pakistan made a similar mistake in their qualifying match against Japan. Their late equalizer was canceled out after the referee spotted Pakistan playing with 12 players instead of the allowed 11.This result deprived Pakistan of its qualification to participate in the 2023 Hockey World Cup, and the then head coach Khawaja Junaid was banned for life by the Pakistan Hockey Federation.The ban was later lifted and Junaid is now back at the top of the team.
