In hockey, there happens to be core values which include Integrity, Inclusion, Courage and Respect.

Whereas every player is supposed to keep these values at heart, players sometimes get carried away in the heat of the moment and act contrary to what is expected of them.

On Sunday 3rd December, while KHC Swans was taking on Wananchi SC, i was horrified at what i heard a player say to an umpire not once but twice.

Muber Consolate of Wananchi was shown a red card after she had abused the umpire, following what she said was a ‘biased’ call.

It is alleged that she said “Olinga amatako” which means “you’re bums” to the umpire, to which he responded by showing red.

Shortly after being given matching orders, she was more furious and was heard saying more insults. She said “kalinga amazi” which means “he’s like s**t” just in front of the technical bench, asserting that she wasn’t remorseful.

At Full Time, she came back at the umpire toegether with a couple of her teammates and threw more insults to the umpire who did not respond.

According International Hockey Federation (FIH) code of conduct, the player/players breached Article 2.3 b and d and penalty is suspension for a minimum of two matches.

It is yet to be determined whether the Uganda Hockey Association will act on this, but the matter was treated lightly by the technical team.

Perspective

The Uganda Hockey Association has done a lot of capacity building, empowering different players to take up different roles in the game.

As a result, different players have taken up positions and contributed significantly. The biggest problem though arises from the fact that, playing and officiation are two different things and drawing a line between them becomes hard, when one is doing both.

The fact that these officials also play with/against the players they officiate, it becomes very hard when the calls are not very consistent, which is typical of refereeing.

As the saying goes, ‘Familiarity breeds contempt’, the players will find it very hard to respect their mates when they are officiating more so when the call go against them.

Doubling as a player and an official is quite tough, but given the shortage of man power, many Federation/Association tend to follow this direction. This is very good for sustainability of the sport but, respect of the officials will also be under threat.