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Blowing the whistle
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Hockey umpires had an exhaustive discussion on the nuances of refereeing
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Dilip Tirkey feels strongly about players' safety — Photo: Satish H.
IS IT time for the International Hockey Federation to engage itself in a serious review of some rules including exploring the option of a third umpire in hockey? It seems so in the wake of so many serious issues raised during the four-day seminar organised by the Indian Women's Hockey Federation at the Gachibowli Hockey Complex in Hyderabad.
The referees, particularly the Indians, who had the rare opportunity of interacting with the foreign delegates (in all 27 from Asia attended the seminar), feel there are quite a few rules which need to be addressed in the appropriate manner. For instance, international umpire from Hyderabad, Alphonse Absolom, who was also the coordinator of the seminar, feels the thrust has to be on a greater level of consistency in dealing with specific situations. To illustrate his point, he referred to the penalty stroke awarded by Dawn Hemming for China in the Asia Cup final against Korea, which settled the Cup for the former.
He observed that under normal circumstances the referee would have been happier in awarding a penalty-corner for a similar offence. "But, this lady showed what an efficient umpire can do by straightaway awarding the stroke for stick-checking a forward advancing towards the goal. That was strictly as per the rules," he explained. The issue of drag flick also came up for discussion. Here it is worth recalling what the Indian captain Dilip Tirkey had to say about whether it should be banned. "I am not averse to such a decision but I cannot give a straight reply. I can only say that it needs a drastic review," one of the best defenders in the world hockey, Tirkey, says.
Safety measures
And, he has every reason to feel so. For he has recently recovered from a serious blow on the face, just below the right eye, while attempting to stop a stinging, penalty-corner hit by Pakistan's Sohail Abbas in the Delhi Test in the recent `Friendship' series. "I won't say it should be banned straight away or anything close to that. What I genuinely feel is that it is time to think about the safety of the defenders during the penalty-corners," he explained in an informal chat.
Is wearing of some masks and gloves during the penalty-corners a viable alternative? "May be. The time has come to allow some protective gear for the defenders," says Dilip Tirkey, the deputy manager of Indian Airlines. So what effectively Tirkey and other like-minded internationals feel is that it is for the technical committee of the FIH to give a serious thought to the whole issue.
Commenting on this subject, Kukoo Walia, the course conductor of the seminar, felt there was no way the height of the drag flick could be restricted. "It is an art mastered by some great players over the years," he says. "If someone tries to have any restrictions in terms of height, it will again create controversies. Perhaps to avoid such injuries like which Tirkey suffered, the defender going for the suicidal rush during the penalty-corner was banned. However, it is not still being strictly implemented." But he made it clear that defenders are allowed to wear headgears during the penalty-corner hits.
Secretary of Hyderabad Hockey Association, P. Kantaiah says one of the first things, which the FIH may consider is to bring back the old `off-side' rule to test the real skill of the players. For Narsing Prasad what was revealing from the seminar is the clarification that an injured goalkeeper could be changed without actually seeking time-out but like any other player with the reserve coming into action from behind the goalpost.
"The seminar was a really worthy experience," he says.
By all means, it was a refreshing experience for the Hyderabad referees Alphonse Absolom, Narsing Prasad and Jude Absolom and the only woman umpire from the State, Shamshad Begum - to learn new aspects of umpiring.
V.V. SUBRAHMANYAM
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