Paris Olympics: Sreejesh was India’s saviour vs Great Britain, Rohidas’ red card uncalled for, says Dilip Tirkey

Sreejesh rose to the occasion in holding Britain to 1-1 until full time after the Harmanpreet Singh-led side was reduced to 10 men and held his nerves to help India defeat GB 4-2 in the shoot-out.

Former India captain and Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey said goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh, who made several saves including in the penalty shootout, was the ‘God of hockey’ for the national team which recorded a magnificent win over Great Britain in the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics at the Yves du Manoir Stadium here on Sunday.

A respected defender of his times, Tirkey, who was present at the stadium to witness the match, praised the Indian team for defending well after Amit Rohidas’ expulsion owing to a foul early in the second quarter.

“I can understand how difficult it is to play with 10 men. That’s why we didn’t see many attacks. The team planned in the right way with the intention to defend (every attack from the opposition). It kept the defence crowded. If we had attacked again and again, there would have been a lot of gaps in our defence. And they would have taken advantage of that,” said Tirkey.

“Sreejesh was the God of hockey for us today. He saved well. We were able to play a better match because of his performance.”

In an apparent reference to defender Rohidas’ red card suspension, Tirkey said, “At this level people want to see a better match and players want to play a better match. The level of umpiring should be balanced. In today’s match something happened that should not have happened because of umpiring. But we won the match and we are celebrating.”

Meanwhile, Hockey India raised concerns about the quality of umpiring and decision-making in the India-Great Britain match. The complaint focused on “several inconsistencies in officiating potentially influenced the game’s outcome.”

The key issues highlighted by HI include i] inconsistent video umpire reviews, particularly regarding the red card decision for an Indian player, which has eroded trust in the video review system, ii] coaching of a goalkeeper from behind the goalpost during the shoot-out and iii] use of a video tablet by a goalkeeper during the shoot-out.

“These incidents have undermined confidence in the officiating process among players, coaches, and fans. HI calls for a thorough review of these matters to uphold the integrity of the sport and ensure fair play in future matches,” said the statement.