Total Respect

There is a famous saying that says a referee is like a tap, you only notice it when it is not working properly.

Referees and umpires,like players, make mistakes, unfortunately for them many of their mistakes are remembered by fans and players alike. Due to the passionate nature of sport many sports now isolate their officials from players and coaches, and to the frustration of many do not engage in conversations post match regarding the decisions made; the fact that players and coaches can be sanctioned for comments made to officials post match has also at times been a bone of contention.

The dawn of the video official was of course meant to help eliminate the glaring errors made on the field of play, however as we have all seen it is now used to highlight incidents that have been missed that sometimes have not influenced the game or the outcome of an attack. Once again it is worth remembering that all officials, those on the pitch and those watching videos are only human and they interpret as they see the play.

Yesterday, in a must win game for the Netherlands against India at the 37th edition of the Champions Trophy hockey tournament in Breda there was a decision that left the crowd and the players feeling more than a little flat.

India needed a draw in the match to progress to the final and play Australia. The Netherlands needed to win. India took the lead through Mandeep Singh in the 47th minute. In the 55th minute the Netherlands, through Thierry Brinkman equalised. The home crowd were on their feet urging their team forward to find a winner in the remaining five minutes.

With two minutes left on the clock Jeroen Hertzberger found the foot of Harmanpreet just outside the circle on the left hand side. The ball having hit Harmanpreet ricocheted towards the baseline where a Dutch player knowing the ball must travel five metres before it enters the circle, passed it to Mirco Pruijser who played a first time ball into the circle which Hertzberger fired between the legs of Sreejesh in the Indian goal. The stadium erupted. Hertzberger lay on the ground arms raised above his head, the Dutch players celebrated. The Indian players shoulders slumped.

If India had any doubts about the legitimacy of the goal they did not complain. They could not refer the decision as they had lost their one referral earlier in the match. However because of what was at stake umpire Gareth Greenfield opted to use his referral. He wanted to make sure that Hertzberger’s contact was not off the back of the stick.

When the video umpire viewed the passage of play he noted, quite correctly, that the Netherlands had not taken the free hit from where the ball struck Harmanpreet’s foot and that the ball had not been stopped when the free hit was taken. In his opinion the Netherlands had gained an unfair advantage from the passage of play and that had influenced the outcome.

Certainly India’s players were out of position when the free hit was taken. Also to be fair throughout this tournament Umpires have been very strict about free hits inside the 22 metre line being taken from the correct place.

The outcome was the goal was ruled out. India held on for a draw and the Netherlands players and crowd were left shell-shocked. In fact, the outcome made what had been an outstanding game feel like an anti-climax.

Credit to the Dutch players and coaching staff, despite their understandable disappointment there was not an angry word exchanged with their Indian opposition and they congratulated them like true sportsman. They were a credit to their team and their country in the way they behaved.

After having showered and with the disappointment still plainly written across their faces they emerged from the changing rooms. Walking to their bus two of the players happened saw the umpires walking behind them. One was Jeroen Hertzberger, the man whose goal had been rubbed out.

He stopped and approached the umpires and then politely asked if he could ask a question. The umpires said that he could. He asked why the umpire had used his referral at such a moment in the game. Gareth Greenfield honestly said that he wanted to make sure that the goal was legitimate, and that there was no back stick as it was such an important moment in the game.

Then ensued a discussion between players and umpires for about five minutes. There was no shouting. There was no abuse. There was disagreement on the interpretation of the rules and the fact that outside the 22 metre line umpires are more lax with making players take a quick free hit from the correct spot. What is the distance from the point of the foul that is acceptable? Would this decision now have an impact on future decisions? Would umpires now have to insist that all free hits be taken at exactly the right spot?

This interchange between the Umpires and the players was a credit to all. Hertzberger showed total respect to the officials who in turn listened and explained their point of view, but never in a sanctimonious way. This was a credit to the sport of hockey. It showed that players and umpires respected each other even if they may not agree. It showed that a player despite their spirit being shattered by a decision can behave like a gentleman and not like a spoiled child.

In how many other sports would this have happened?

Having witnessed the exchange first hand all I can say is my respect for the players and the umpires concerned has risen to another level. I take my hat off to Jeroen Hertzberger and Robert Kemperman along with Gareth Greenfield and Christian Blasch. All are a credit to the game.