Harendra Singh's comment on umpiring irks FIH

Bhubaneswar: Harendra Singh’s outburst against umpiring after India’s quarterfinal loss to the Netherlands in the ongoing World Cup didn’t go down well with the world body (FIH) and its president Narinder Batra on Saturday hinted at a strict action against the coach for his indecent behaviour.

Eyeing to rewrite history after a hiatus of 43 years, India lost 1-2 to the Netherlands in the quarterfinal. Soon after the defeat, Harendra blamed poor umpiring for his side’s unexpected early ouster, saying FIH seriously need to address the issue as his side has been on the receiving end of poor on-field decisions twice this year.

But the India coach’s vitriolic outburst came back to haunt him as the FIH chief said a team should be graceful in defeat and questioning umpires is against the spirit of the game.

“Being the FIH president I have to follow certain protocols and I have my strong reservations against this kind of behaviour. A sport has to be played in the right spirit,” Batra said in a press conference here on Saturday.

“One should be graceful whether you win or lose. Finding a fault is very easy. You should rather appreciate and respect. They (umpires) have only two eyes. They are doing a job, a thankless job. They will get criticised by anybody who loses,” he added.

Akashdeep may face two-match ban

Meanwhile, striker Akashdeep Singh faces a possible two match suspension for breaching Code of Conduct at the end of India’s quarterfinal loss on Friday.

According to a statement from the world body, the  technical delegate had recommended Akashde-ep’s case to FIH’s disciplinary commissioner.

As per the recommendation, Akashdeep faces a possible two match suspension at the next top FIH event.