Pak won with green, India with blue: Saffron hockey jersey comes under fire
For nearly a century, India's hockey jersey has been synonymous with blue. The national team, sporting that blue, has witnessed eight Olympic gold medals, an
For nearly a century, India's hockey jersey has been synonymous with blue. The national team, sporting that blue, has witnessed eight Olympic gold medals, an iconic World Cup triumph, heartbreaking defeats and, in recent years, the revival of a fallen giant. Now, weeks before the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 is held in the Netherlands and Belgium, Hockey India's decision to replace the team's traditional blue jersey with a saffron kit has triggered a political controversy. Read Full Story players have questioned the need to abandon a jersey that had become part of Indian hockey's identity. While Hockey India insists the decision was taken on purely technical grounds to improve player visibility on blue synthetic turfs, critics have cited the example of Pakistan, which won two World Cups in green kits playing on green fields. The controversy intensified further after former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, widely regarded as the modern patron of Indian hockey because of Odisha's financial rescue of the sport, accused the BJP government in the state of politicising a national symbol. Critics have alleged that Hockey India was "saffronising" even the jerseys of players. That BJP-led governments try to "saffronise" policy and institutions is an allegation that is often hurled their way. The controversy has now become a debate over sporting identity, legacy and whether a colour that has represented Indian hockey for decades should be replaced in the name of functionality. FORMER INDIAN CAPTAIN RAISED FIRST VOICE OF DISSENT The criticism of the jersey colour switch began soon after Hockey India unveiled the new saffron primary team uniform for the World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands, which starts from August 15. Hockey India is the federation that manages the national team and regulates the sport in India. India captain Viren Rasquinha, who led the national side in 2003-04, was among the first to publicly oppose the move. "... This is embarrassing. The legacy and identity of the Indian team has always been blue. I wore the blue jersey with pride for many years. Fans want to see our Indian team in blue.
What is the logic of orange?" he wrote on X on July 29. As the debate snowballed and political opposition emerged, Rasquinha clarified that his objection had nothing to do with politics. "I'm seeing many unnecessary political comments on this. I don't want to get into any of that. My simple and humble point is pride, identity and legacy. India is to hockey what Argentina is to football. Will we ever see Argentina wearing orange and white stripes as their 1st jersey?" INDIAN TEAM'S JERSEY CHANGED DUE TO VISIBILITY ISSUE Facing mounting criticism, Hockey India issued an official statement on Thursday defending the decision to change the team uniform's colour. According to the federation, the change was recommended after consultations with support staff and players. "The decision to change the uniform colour was based on support staff and players' recommendations and detailed consultations with them. The primary consideration was technical. It was observed that the blue playing uniform tended to blend/merge with the blue synthetic playing surface, which is now the standard colour of international hockey pitches. This visual similarity affected on-field clarity and visibility for the players," Hockey India said in the statement. The federation maintained that the decision had no political motivation and was purely intended to improve on-field performance. However, that explanation itself became the subject of fresh scrutiny. Even before the debate was settled by the federation's statement, questions emerged over the claim that the decision followed player consultations. According to The Indian Express newspaper, five current members of the men's and women's national teams denied being consulted during the process. "I wasn't asked or consulted. It is not true," one player told the newspaper anonymously. NAVEEN PATNAIK JOINS THE HOCKEY DEBATE, SLAMS BJP The debate took a political turn after former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik posted a strongly worded statement on X. Patnaik's intervention on Thursday carried particular significance. When Indian hockey struggled to attract sponsors in 2018, the Odisha government stepped in with a landmark sponsorship agreement worth Rs 150 crore, becoming the first state government to sponsor both the men's and women's national teams.
The BriefWire