CT Hockey: FIH to investigate Pakistani players'' indecent behaviour; coach apologises

Bhubaneswar, Dec 13: Pakistani players shamelessly hurled obscene gestures towards Indian fans and media after their win over India but no action will be taken against them as their coach Shahnaz Sheikh has apologised to the FIH for the incident.

Soon after their 4-3 win, Pakistani players went into a frenzy mode and started celebrating their victory in a wild fashion. They started dancing in jubilation. They removed their shirts, used foul language and made obscene gestures towards the crowd and media, prompting their coach Shahnaz to come into action and take away his players.

Tournament Director Wiert Doyer then spoke to Pakistani camp and said International Hockey Federation (FIH) has accepted their apology.

"The celebration of the Pakistani team contained some behaviour that warranted further investigation by me as Tournament Director. As a result I have spoken to the Head Coach of the Pakistan team, Mr. Shahnaz Sheikh and told him that the behaviour of Pakistan players went beyond what is acceptable to standards of the FIH," Doyer said.

"The behaviour in question concerned many members of the Pakistan team. It is difficult to find any particular miscreant, and it is possible that the behaviour of the players may have been a reaction. Shahnaz Sheikh has apologised and assured me that this behaviour will not occur again. Given these matters, I''ve decided that no further action is warranted," Doyer added.

The gestures of the Pakistani players infuriated every person present at the stadium. Pakistan coach Shahnaz Sheikh was bound to feel the wrath of the media at the post-match press conference for his players' behavior but he went away by merely saying a sorry, which according to him was enough to settle the issue.

"I am not a politician I am a sportsperson, but I am sorry for this. They are youngsters and made a mistake in enthusiasm. I guess that's enough," Sheikh simply said and walked out of the conference hall evading further questions on the matter. India captain Sardar Singh also denounced winners' celebration style.

"It doesn't look good because many families came to watch the match. Their celebration after the win was not appropriate. They deserved to win. Congratulations to them, but the way they celebrated by opening their shirt and making indecent gestures was not right. It sends a wrong message."

India's High Performance Director Roealt Oltmans said, "To be honest I didn't see much but it looked too much."

PTI