Picture Credit: Twitter
The FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 has reached a crucial stage with the knockout stage coming in shape. However, the hosts (India) are out of the race but Australian, Germany, Netherlands and Belgium sealing the semifinals spot. But during the Quarterfinals match between Netherlands and Korea on Wednesday (January 25) a tragic incident took place.
Also Read: FIH Men's Hockey World Cup 2023 - Schedule, Squad, Fixtures, Venue & More
In the 28th minute of the game in the quarterfinal match, German umpire Ben Goentgen was hit on face off a penalty corner strike. South Korea player Jan Jonghyun took a drag flick which got deflected from Netherlands player’s stick and hit the German umpire on his face. Goentgen soon fell on the ground in pain and was immediately taken off the field for medical attention.
Watch the video here:
However, the injured umpire was later replaced by reserve umpire Raghu Prasad of India. However, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) later revealed that umpire Ben Goentgen has been diagnosed with a cheek bone fracture and will undergo a surgery today (27 January 2023).
It is to be noted that the Netherlands will next face Belgium at the Kalinga Stadium (Bhubaneswar) on January 27.
