Pakistan hockey team take celebration too far; rebuked by coach
Pakistan beat India 4-3 in the semifinals of the Hero Hockey Champions Trophy in Bhubaneshwar on Saturday. And the victory certainly meant a lot to them.
In fact, the entire Pakistan hockey team seemed to get a little carried away with their joy at upstaging their arch-rivals. Their post-match celebrations took on an unexpectedly aggressive hue, as they let the entire world know how pumped they were. From wild screaming, to vigorous swinging of jerseys to gesturing to the crowd to keep quiet with the usual ‘finger on your lips’, the team went bonkers.
Shahnaz Sheikh, the coach of the Pakistan national hockey team, reportedly rebuked his team for their wild celebrations. It remains to be seen whether any action will be taken by the officials against the concerned players.
Aur Pakistani Players ki trolling dekho #Hockey pic.twitter.com/18Yf7WB7Ct
— Ammar Ashraf (@AmmarAshraf) December 13, 2014
International hockey body takes serious note of misbehaviour by Pakistani players after their win over India, to take action
— TIMES NOW (@timesnow) December 13, 2014
Hero Hockey Semi Final India vs Pakistan| Hurling Indecent And Obscene G...: http://t.co/W90sBNscoD via @YouTube
— Kaizad Khambatta (@FilmKiJuice) December 13, 2014
Heard that #Pakistan showed obscene gestures while they won the Hockey match against #India . Poor sporting etiquettes . #PakvsInd #TskTsk
— Shreya (@SIN_drella13) December 13, 2014
SHAME “@DineshUpdates: Obscene gesture from Pakistan Hockey Players after their win over India today. pic.twitter.com/dnNDuHVMfC”
— Cooling Beer (@deenadylan) December 13, 2014
Tournament Director Wiert Doyer 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.