Third eye on umpires

12/02/2003

THIS year's Azlan Shah Cup will not only experiment with new hockey rules,
but will also have a `third eye' to keep tabs on the umpires.
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) will bring in the equipment
and the expertise to implement the new rules in the March 22-30 tournament
at the Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh.
"The FIH will bring the equipment and expertise to operate the
electronic eye which will oversee the implementation of several changes in
the rules of hockey," said Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) secretary S.
Satgunam yesterday.
The two umpires on the pitch will be under constant touch with the crew
manning the television screen, via earphones, and any wrong decisions can
be instantly relayed to the umpires and the situation rectified on the
spot.
The most controversial rule that will be tested at the Azlan Shah Cup is
allowing only eight defensive players to remain in the 25-yard line, while
the remaining three players must remain beyond the 25-yard area.
A breach of the rule will result in the opponents being awarded a
penalty corner.
The two match umpires will have their hands full, trying to figure out
how many players are inside the 25-yard line, so the third eye will help
them keep track.
National coach Paul Lissek feels that experimenting with the new FIH
rule in the Azlan Shah Cup is as ridiculous as the rule itself.
"I cannot understand the need for such a rule which confuses the game
further," said Lissek.
"Hockey already has complex rules and rather than making the game more
interesting, it will become more difficult to understand. And since the
rule is not going to be implemented during the Olympic Qualifiers, we will
be on the wrong track in our preparations for the Qualifiers and the
Champions Challenge (in July in South Africa)."
The German coach's major concern is trying to get his players used to
the style of defending as there is no way a defender, who is checking the
movement of a striker, to keep track on whether he has seven players
behind the 25-yard before crossing the line himself.
This rule will surely put a strain on the umpires and players.
Malaysia first had a taste of the rule in the Masters Cup in Hamburg.
"All the teams there, Germany, Spain and Argentina agreed that the rule
was ridiculous," said Lissek.
The other rules to be checked by the third eye is the ability to score
from anywhere inside the 25-yard line and during long corners, the
defending team must have eight defenders behind the goal line.
The Azlan Shah Cup will parade four Asian Teams - Pakistan, India, Korea
and hosts Malaysia, while from Europe will be defending champions Germany.
New Zealand replace Australia who have domestic commitments.
The national team will be much stronger than the bronze medal-winning
side at the Busan Asian Games with the return of defender Nor Azlan Bakar
and striker Tajol Rosli.
Tajol played a sterling role for Kuala Lumpur in the recent National
Under-21 tournament, played in the Kuala Lumpur World Cup, but skipped
Busan because of studies.
Jiwa Mohan and K. Logan Raj will also return to the fold, and their
presence will make a big difference in Ipoh.
(END)