Ubaidullah Rajpoot, a well-known Pakistani international kabbadi player, could face harsh disciplinary action after competing for an Indian team at a private event in Bahrain on December 16.
After images and videos of him waving the Indian flag and sporting an Indian shirt at the GCC Cup went viral, Rajpoot found himself in serious difficulty.
Rana Sarwar, the secretary of the Pakistan Kabbadi Federation, stated that the PKR has convened an emergency meeting on December 27 to review the issue and decide whether to take disciplinary action against Rajpoot and a few other players.
“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 (Rajpoot) played for them which is unacceptable in these circumstances,” Sarwar said.
Additionally, he asserted that sixteen Pakistani athletes had traveled to Bahrain on their own initiative without approval from the Pakistan Sports Board or the federation.
“So action will also be taken against these players for falsely playing under the names of Pakistan team.”
Rajpoot apologized and emphasized that he was a member of a private team and was invited to participate in the event in Bahrain.
“But I didn’t know until later they had named the side Indian team and I told the organisers to not use the names 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.”
