2014 Hockey World Cup: England protest against Argentina for fielding 12 men, but result stands unchanged

Argentina players rejoice as they beat England 2-0 in the Hockey World Cup

England’s protest after their defeat to Argentina in a World Cup medal match as Argentina fielded 12 players at one point of the match has been overturned by the International Hockey Federation and the result remains unchanged.

The bronze medal match between England and Argentina was heading for a shoot-out, but it ended in a controversial fashion when Argentina had 12 players on the field for more than 2 minutes when the score was still 0-0. Argentina then went on to win the match 2-0 as two second half lapses were pounced upon by Matias Paredes, ending England’s hopes of landing a first medal since 1986.

Danny Kerry, England’s performance director, was made aware of the situation and he decided to lodge an official complaint, with world rankings points at stake.

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) reviewed the terms and interviewed both teams after viewing relevant video footage. Under FIH rules, it was decided that the result would stand after the incident was deemed “unintentional”, though Argentina’s captain will be banned for one match.

The fast-paced nature of hockey with rolling substitution over 70 minutes makes it hard to keep track of players, and the FIH has no official monitoring process.

Philip Kimberley, England Hockey chairman, said: “It is most regrettable that we have been placed in this position, but we believed it was appropriate to invoke the process that exists for these situations. We feel it is important that the facts are in the public domain and to ensure that the management of games is tightened up to avoid a repetition of this situation.”