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The women's hockey team were all set to knock out the defending champions Australia in the semifinals of the Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2022, but things did not go in the right direction after a major goof-up by the referees and the officials on the sidelines of the pitch.
So what exactly happened?
Australia kicked off the penalty shoot-out with Ambrosia Malone going up against goalkeeper and skipper Savita Punia. Punia did well to save the first attempt, but due to confusion, it had to be retaken, and then Malone scored off the second attempt.
Why was the penalty retaken?
The penalty was ordered to be retaken by an official (a technical delegate) who stands on the sidelines with a stopwatch. The process states that the delegate raised her hand and then dropped it when the stopwatch is set to start. Simultaneously, the referee is supposed to indicate to the striker that she can advance with the penalty.
What happened on that first attempt was that the delegate had not dropped her hand. This also means that the stopwatch had not yet started. Usually, this timer is also visible on the television screen for the fans as well, but the 8.0 second-timer never started. The referee, however, waved the penalty on, with this delegate saying loudly "no, no, no, wait, wait, wait," just as she progressed ahead.
See the video here:
What happened after?
After this confusion and miscommunication, the penalty was retaken and converted. 0-0 became a 1-0. All the three Indian players missed their opportunities, while the three Australians scored. The Kangaroos eventually won the shootout 3-0 and advanced to the final, where they will face hosts England.
Reactions to the incident
"We're not using it as an excuse, but we are human," Savita said after the match. "It definitely affected us psychologically."
Her sentiments were echoed by head coach Jannekke Schopmann as well, who said, "I'm not using it as an excuse, but you know, your goalkeeper makes a save, that's an enormous boost for the team and you turn the decision around... the team was really upset about it. I'm sure their focus was lost a little bit after that, and that's not an excuse, just a simple fact."
"It affected our momentum. [The retake] went in, and everyone is deflated, we don't need to be but it's human emotion... It would be better to have the strength to shake it off and think it doesn't matter, but of course, it does matter. I am angry, also because the umpires don't understand it either."
"I think those people [the delegates] just do not understand the game and the emotions that are involved. I've never experienced anything like this [in her playing and coaching career]," she said.
Official FIH statement
In a statement released by the FIH, they said the penalty shootout "started mistakenly too early (the clock was not yet ready to operate), for which we apologise." It said the correct subsequent process was followed: the penalty shootout was retaken. "This incident will be thoroughly reviewed by the FIH in order to avoid any similar issues in the future," the statement added.
