Bhubaneswar: PR Sreejesh’s decision to play in Virat Kohli’s seems to have attracted the ire of a section of Hockey India (HI). The Indian goalkeeper has been out of action since May this year having suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury the Sultan Azlan Shah tournament in Malaysia and since then he has been out of the side.
As the HI code of conduct, the Kerala shot-stopper is not supposed to be involved in any form of sporting activities that may hinder his recovery. Questions are now being asked in the corridors of HI as to how Sreejesh took part in a ‘Celebrity Clasico’ in October at Mumbai, featuring the country’s top sports and film stars, including Kohli, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Ranbir Kapoor.
“Yes, it (Sreejesh’s participation) came to our notice but we have not initiated any disciplinary action as yet. However, a disciplinary meeting has been called after the ongoing Men’s Hockey World League Final in Bhubaneswar,” HI CEO Elena Norman, who is also a member of the disciplinary committee, said Sunday.
The crux, however, is that most of the disciplinary committee members are in the dark about Sreejesh’s involvement in a football match during the rehabilitation period. And one member on condition of anonymity said that Sreejesh may not face disciplinary action because his past record is very clean.
“It’s news to me. I only came to know about the matter today (Sunday),” said another disciplinary committee member.
“Sreejesh is a role model for young hockey players. I feel he should have avoided it (playing the game) thinking about his own and nation’s cause. Having said that he never had any disciplinary issues in the past, so I feel he will escape with a warning. India need Sreejesh’s services,” the member added.
Considered as the best in his business, Sreejesh has been the backbone of Indian hockey since his debut and his brilliance under the bar won India many matches, which includes the 2014 Asian Games gold in Incheon.
When contacted, Sreejesh refused to comment on the issue. “I won’t like to comment anything on the issue. We will talk later,” he said before disconnecting the phone.