While the Ireland men's hockey team may not attract the attention other national sides demand, there has been no lack of public outcry following the controversial end to last night's Olympic qualifier in Vancouver.
The Irish side seemed to have secured victory only for the video umpire to intervene, awarding the hosts a penalty stroke just as time ran out. Canada scored with the final act of the game before beating the heartbroken Irish men in a penalty shootout.
Immediately after the game, and continuing this morning, there has been a public outcry after what was viewed as an injustice.
Both hockey enthusiasts and casual supporters were incandescent at the way the game transpired, just as the Irish were celebrating making it to next year's Olympics in Tokyo. Many took to social media to voice their frustrations.
Sounded to me like the video umpire awarded the stroke and not the onfield umpire? Tournament regulations say otherwise.
Need to question this and consider appeal @irishhockey @IreMenHockey Appendix 16 pic.twitter.com/1xT8GUsiHX— Dermot Judge (@DermotJudge) October 28, 2019
Probably 3 video decisions over the 2 games that were blatantly incorrect from the umpires there. A mixture of the umpires not knowing the rules and an incredible injustice of a decision to award a stroke there has just denied @irishhockey a place at the Olympics. #shambles
— Stephen West (@westy160991) October 27, 2019
Still can’t get over what we witnessed last night.Absolutely gutted for @irishhockey @IreMenHockey Questions need to be asked over the experience of the Umpires for that level when there is so much at stake & and whether he had all required 7 camera angles to make that decision.
— Sarah Scott (@Noreen_Kinder) October 28, 2019
As someone who knows close to nothing about hockey I still feel comfortable calling that decision a complete load of bollocks. Ireland robbed https://t.co/p4mhwn8wsr
— PJ Gallagher (@pjgallagher) October 27, 2019
@FIH_Hockey I think Ireland were treated wrong in this game. How does an umpire award a penalty flick in the last second for something that worst case should have been a penalty corner. At this level in hockey just not right.@irishhockey
— Mary McKenna (@MaryTourAmerica) October 27, 2019
2012 and Korea in the last minute was cruel, as sport can be. But that was wrong. And there’s no come back. Four years of effort, dreams and the courage to chase them. There was no cause for a stroke. None. I’m gutted. #irevcan #FIHOlympicQualifier
— Gareth Watkins (@GarWatkins) October 28, 2019
What part of the penalty stroke awarded against Ireland was either a deliberate foul or prevented the probable scoring of a goal? Absolutely zero basis for the decision. @FIH_Hockey will rightly take a lot of heat for this. You can’t have an Olympic qualifier decided like that.
— Alan Good (@agoodcoach) October 27, 2019
Irish men’s hockey @IreMenHockey team utterly robbed tonight of Olympic qualification. Shocking stuff from video ref. 😓.
— Chris Donoghue (@chrisrdonoghue) October 27, 2019
