Sports

FIH Men's Hockey World Cup 2023: Umpire Hit On Face By Ball From A Drag Flick

Goentgen was immediately taken off the field for medical attention.

Advertisement

Goentgen fell down in pain as co-umpire and tournament organisers rushed to help him.
info_icon

In a bizarre incident, German umpire Ben Goentgen was hit on the face off a penalty corner strike in the FIH Men's World Cup quarterfinal match between Netherlands and South Korea here on Wednesday. (More Hockey News)

Goentgen was immediately taken off the field for medical attention.

The incident happened in the 28th minute when South Korean Jang Jonghyun's stinging drag flick got deflected from a Netherlands player's stick and struck the face of Goentgen, who was standing a few meters away from the goalpost.

Goentgen fell down in pain while his co-umpire Gareth Greenfield of New Zealand and medical staff of the tournament organisers rushed to help him. 

Advertisement

The injured umpire held his face with one hand and rushed out of the field along with the medical staff.

He was later replaced by the reserve umpire of the match, Raghu Prasad of India.

Advertisement