Ubaidullah Rajput, a popular Pakistani international kabaddi player, landed in hot water for playing for an Indian team in a private tournament in Bahrain recently.
Ubaidullah faces the prospect of severe disciplinary action after the astonishing incident. The Pakistani player faced massive backlash after videos and pictures of him wearing an Indian shirt and waving the Indian flag in the GCC Cup went viral.
The secretary of the Pakistan Kabaddi Federation, Rana Sarwar, has called for an emergency meeting on December 27 to discuss the matter. The player will most likely face severe disciplinary action.
“I can confirm it was a private event with private teams formed under the names of India, Pakistan, Canada, Iran etc. in the competition by the organisers. But all the teams had players of their own origin. Indian players represented the Indian private side and Ubaidullah played for them, which is unacceptable in these circumstances,” Sarwar said.
Ubaidullah, among several players, to face disciplinary action for unsanctioned visit
He also revealed that 16 Pakistani players travelled to Bahrain in their personal capacity without informing or taking any permission from the federation or the Pakistan Sports Board.
“So action will also be taken against these players for falsely playing under the names of Pakistan team.”
Rajput has apologised for his actions and clarified that he was invited to play for a private team at the event in Bahrain.
“But I didn’t know until later they had named the side Indian team and I told the organizers to don’t use names of India and Pakistan.
“In private competitions in the past Indian and Pakistan players have played together for a private team but never under the names of India or Pakistan.” “I was not under the impression until I found out later that I was misrepresented as playing for the Indian team which I can’t think of doing after the conflict.”
(With PTI Inputs)