penalty cards should be carried forward umpires recommend

Chandigarh, Mar 21 (UNI) With a view to curbing the tendency among some of the Indian players to deliberately indulge in rough play and unsportsmanship, most of the hockey umpires have strongly opined that the penalty cards awarded in the PHL III in Chennai and Chandigarh from January four to March five, must be carried forward to the next tournament.

These cards should be valid for one year and be applicable to any domestic tournament.

''This step should be considered as a move to educate rather than punishing the players to play a fair game and avoid any penalty.

Moreover, the players should respect the umpires' decisions. Yes, umpires are also human beings and can some time make mistake. They supervise the matches under various pressures. With the introduction of video umpire in the Premier Hockey League, the umpires are at liberty to consult his colleague and if the situation demands, the issue should be referred to the third umpire,'' said most of the umpires.

In this direction Tournament Director Shakeel Qureshi has left his big mark on the third edition of PHL by strictly implementing the penalty cards. Saranjit Singh and Raghunath got a suspension for one match as they were shown two yellow cards each.

UNI