New Delhi, Sep 21 (IANS) Ace drag flicker Sandeep Singh and star mid-fielder Sardara Singh took a sigh of relief Wednesday after their two-year ban, for indiscipline, was revoked by the appeals committee of Hockey India (HI).
The two players appeared before the appeals committee and tendered unconditional apology, and requested that they should be given one last chance.
The appeals committee comprised, Sports Authority of India's (SAI) P.C. Kashyap, government observers Harvinder Singh, Dilip Tirkey, athlete's representative Rajnish Mishra, and HI's secretary general Narinder Batra, Air Commodore Baladitya and Gurdeep Singh.
HI executive director Anupam Gulati said the two players tendered their "unconditional apology".
"Sandeep and Sardara appeared before the appeals committee today and expressed their unconditional regret. So the appeals committee decided to give them a chance by revoking the ban keeping in mind their age, performance and future," Gulati told IANS.
"But both the players have given in writing that the two-year ban should be re-imposed on them if they are found guilty of any misconduct in future," said Gulati.
The two players were banned for two years by the Pargat Singh-led disciplinary committee after they quit midway the national camp in Bangalore last month ahead of the Asian Champions Trophy, citing personal reasons.