Sreejesh's farcical 15-day ban for charity match participation ends on January 5

India hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh (right) with cricketers MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli before their Celebrity Clasico match in October (Image courtesy: Twitter)

Bengaluru, January 4: Hockey India handed Indian hockey team goalkeeper PR Sreejesh a farcical 15-day suspension for participating in a celebrity charity football match in Mumbai without seeking the permission of the body. The ban allegedly ends on January 5, but no one was aware he was even suspended.

Sreejesh, who was recuperating from a serious injury, played in the Celebrity Clasico match between sports and Bollywood stars in Mumbai on October 15, 2017. It featured MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Ranbir Kapoor, Siddharth Malhotra and others. Sreejesh only sought the permission of his physiotherapist before playing the match as the Indian team was in Dhaka, Bangladesh, playing the Asia Cup 2017.

The 15-day ban appears to be a pointless one as Hockey India released an advisory only a day before the suspension was set to end. Moreover, Hockey India suspended the goalkeeper at a time when the national team was already on a break anyway. No recognised competitions were held after the Hockey World League Final concluded in Bhubaneswar on December 10, 2017.

"The Hockey India's Disciplinary Committee has today advised that action has been initiated on Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh for taking part in the Celebrity Charity Football Match in Mumbai last year without seeking permission from the governing body for hockey in India," a Hockey India release said.

"Though Sreejesh was not part of the national team during this period, the goalkeeper was undergoing rehabilitation for a serious knee injury sustained during the Sultan Azlan Shah Tournament in May, 2017.

"His decision of playing in the football match breaches Hockey India's Code of Conduct for players and hence was handed a 15-day suspension, which ends on 5 January 2018. He has also been reprimanded with a 12-month probation where he needs to ensure he abides by the Hockey India Code of Conduct."

Sreejesh suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear during the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia in May 2017. He anyway did not feature in the HWL Final squad as he was recovering from the same injury.

Sreejesh has been great for India under the bar. He led the team to the Asian Games gold medal in Incheon 2014. He was even instrumental in the runners-up finish at the 2016 Sultan Azlan Shah and 2016 Champions Trophy.

HI's ban comes at a time when Sreejesh was neither in the squad nor were any international competitions held. The offence of participating in an exhibition event without seeking the permission of the governing body while still recuperating from an injury invites a four-month ban, according to a report.

Yet, Sreejesh was pardoned off with a mere 15-day warning.