Pakistani Hockey players remove shirt, make obscene gestures to Indians; coach apologises

Bhubaneswar: Soon after their 4-3 win over India in a high-voltage semifinal of the Hero Champions Trophy Hockey tournament, Pakistani players went into a frenzy mode and started celebrating their victory in a wild fashion.

Players made obscene gestures towards Indian fans and media after their win but no action will be taken against them as their coach Shahnaz Sheikh has apologised to the International Hockey Federation (FIH) for the incident.

They removed their shirts, used foul language and made obscene gestures, prompting their coach Shahnaz to come into action and take away his players. Many had their fingers to their lips as the stunned crowd watched on in silence.

Tournament Director Wiert Doyer then spoke to Pakistani camp and said that coach Sheikh has apologised on behalf of the team.

Doyer said that the FIH has accepted Pakistani Team's 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.

Sheikh later said that the apology, according to him, was enough to settle the issue.

"I am not a politician I am a sportsperson, but I am sorry for this. They are youngsters and made a mistake in enthusiasm. I guess that's enough," Sheikh said.

India captain Sardar Singh also denounced winners' celebration style.

It should be noted that India had defeated Pakistan in the 2014 Asian Games final.