Sportsmanship is the adjective used to maintain goodwill and integrity toward an opponent. Sport is often looked up to inculcate the habit of team management and accommodation of differences in individuals. However, it is not rare to see sportspersons at the highest levels deviate from the ethics of the sport and indulge in unacceptable behavior. Something similar happened when England and Hockey team engaged in a skirmish on Thursday. A few minutes before halftime, a hockey player from Canada Balraj Panesar, and England’s Chris Griffiths got into a heated argument where the former grabbed Griffiths by his neck.
It was in Men’s Pool B match in the Commonwealth Games 2022, where England looked in a strong position. There were some changes going on between the two. However, a couple of minutes before halftime, it got intense and teammates from both sides joined it. This led to the game being stopped for some time. The match officials had to come in and hand over cards to both the players. Balraj was given a marching order with a red card. While Griffiths was handed a yellow card.
Watch: Canada hockey player Balraj Panesar grabs opponent’s neck
England defeated Canada by 12-2 making way to the semis. India also entered the semi-finals defeating Wales by 4-1.
Hockey Semi-final schedule
| Match | Teams | Date | Time (IST) |
| SF-1 | India vs South Africa | 6th August | 22:30 |
| SF-2 | Australia vs England | 6th August | 00:45 |
