Injuries raise question mark over penalty corner

FOR DECADES, penalty corners have showcased thrilling action sequences on a hockey field — from the cannonball-like shots hurled by drag-flickers and “suicide runs” from defenders to block them to the goalkeepers diving and lunging to keep the ball out.

But now, the future of one of hockey’s most integral elements is being reconsidered, at least in its current avatar. The reason? Rising risk of injuries and a diminishing success rate.

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has launched a consultation project titled, “Future of the Penalty Corner”, which aims to “balance between safety and the spectacle” of the set-piece.

Although there will be no rule change until after the Paris Olympics in 2024, the FIH has told national federations: “We must consider making changes to the penalty corner rules BEFORE serious or fatal incidents occur and not wait to react until afterward.”

The move, depending on the direction in which this conversation flows, could have a profound impact on the game.

Penalty corners are the go-to method for scoring goals and drag-flickers often are celebrated as heroes of their teams. At the last two Olympics, four out of the top-five goalscorers were penalty-corner specialists.

Jon Wyatt, the former England captain who is now FIH’s sport and development director, insisted the purpose of their project is to “start a debate and raise awareness”.

“Personally, I do think there needs to be a change but that change doesn’t have to be removing certain parts of the game,” Wyatt told The Indian Express. “We will still have something called a penalty corner… we have to have some sort of penalty for a foul in the circle but what that looks like is the discussion.”

The safety aspect of penalty corners has become a debate due to drag flicks — when an attacker, in one motion, collects the ball just outside the ‘D’, drags it into the circle and flicks it towards one of the four corners of the goal. The flicks, unleashed from a distance of roughly 14m from the goal, can travel up to 150kmph.

While goalkeepers wear complete protective gear, the defenders are left vulnerable, especially the first player who rushes straight towards the drag-flicker to block the angle and those standing near the goal post as the last line of defence.

In 2004, while playing a match against Pakistan in New Delhi, former India captain Dilip Tirkey nearly lost vision in his right eye while trying to stop a drag-flick from Pakistani legend Sohail Abbas, arguably the finest exponent of the art.