NEW DELHI: India’s key defender and first rusher Amit Rohidas will not be able to participate in Tuesday’s Olympic men’s hockey semifinal against Germany. This is due to the rejection of India’s appeal against his one-match suspension by the international body FIH.
Rohidas was red-carded in the quarterfinal match, which means India will have only 15 players available for the crucial encounter, a significant setback for the eight-time Olympic champions.

The official statement from the FIH, authored by Joshua Burt, stated, “Amit Rohidas was suspended for one match for a breach of the FIH Code of Conduct which occurred during the India vs Great Britain match on August 4.”
The suspension affects match No. 35 (India’s semi-final match against Germany), where Amit Rohidas will not participate and India will play with a squad of 15 players only.

Hockey India’s appeal against Rohidas’ suspension was rejected by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) Jury Bench, confirming his absence in the semifinal.
Who is Joshua Burt who wrote the suspension order of Amit Rohidas?
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has selected five Australian hockey officials to be part of the officiating team for the upcoming Olympic hockey tournament in Paris.
Interestingly, Joshua Burt, who serves as the Technical Delegate from Australia in the Paris Olympics, portrayed the head coach of the Australian women’s team that competed against India in the climactic match of the movie ‘Chak de India‘.
In the film, Burt played the role of a determined and self-motivated coach who consistently created strategic plans to guide his team to triumph. His unwavering concentration was solely directed towards securing his team’s victory during every match.
Interestingly, Joshua Burt is the same person who wrote the letter suspending Amit Rohidas, adding an intriguing connection between the real-life official and his fictional role.
The FIH’s technical officials and umpiring committees handpicked these five Australian officials based on their proven expertise and experience in the sport. The chosen officials are Josh Burt (Technical Delegate), Adam Webster (Technical Official), Tammy Standley (Technical Official), Aleisha Neumann (Umpire), and Steve Rogers (Umpire).
Rohidas received a red card against Britain after accidentally hitting Will Calnan’s face with his stick during a mid-field battle. Initially, the on-field umpire did not deem it serious, but the TV umpire changed it to a red card after a video referral.
Despite being reduced to 10 men, India held Britain to a 1-1 draw and won 4-2 in the shoot-out, thanks to goalkeeper PR Sreejesh’s outstanding performance, securing their second consecutive Olympic semifinal berth.