India hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh on Thursday was suspended for 15 days by Hockey India (HI) for participating in Virat Kohli’s charity football match in October last year.
Hockey India’s Disciplinary Committee said in a statement that Sreejesh’s decision of playing in the football match breaches HI’s Code of Conduct for players and thus the ban was initiated against the goalkeeper. However, the ban ends on January 5. Sreejesh has also been reprimanded with a 12-month probation where he needs to ensure he abides by the HI’s Code of Conduct.
Sreejesh was not part of the national team during that period as he was undergoing rehabilitation for a serious knee injury sustained during the Sultan Azlan Shah Tournament in May last year. He had suffered a medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury and was absent for almost nine months.
Sreejesh has since been included in HI’s 33-member squad for the first national camp of the year that begins on Thursday.