Kabaddi player Ubaidullah Rajput may face lengthy ban

By Alam Zeb Safi
LAHORE: A leading Pakistani kabaddi player’s decision to compete for a team labelled as India at a club tournament in Bahrain has triggered anger among sports officials and fans in Pakistan, underscoring the sensitivities surrounding national representation between the two countries.
Ubaidullah Rajput, a prominent member of Pakistan’s national kabaddi setup, was seen on social media imagery this week wearing what appeared to be an Indian team jersey and waving an Indian flag during the third GCC Kabaddi Cup, held on December 16 at the Gulf Air Club in Salmabad, Bahrain.
The Pakistan Kabaddi Federation (PKF) said it has summoned an emergency General Council meeting on December 27 in Islamabad to investigate the incident and decide on possible disciplinary action against Rajput and others who took part in the tournament.
Officials said the event was a privately organised competition in which teams were designated by country names such as India, Pakistan, Canada and Iran by the organisers, but stressed that none of those sides were official national teams.
“This is a huge blunder committed by the player Ubaidullah who is international athlete. How he can represent a side labelled India? He does not know what is going on and its highly sensitive issue,” a senior official of Pakistan Kabaddi Federation (PKF) told thecricketplus.com.
“There is also a huge pressure on us and we have convened general council meeting on December 27 in Islamabad and strict action will be taken against the player,” the official said.
“The big issue is that these players go outside without NOC and then it creates a big issue for us. As many as 16 player had toured Bahrain without NOC. Some players had also toured New Zealand without NOC and we will also decide their fate in the meeting,” the official said.
“We will be doing our best to regulate the things as it is the only way to do justice with the game,” the official said.
Rajput issued a public statement this week acknowledging his role in the event and apologising for any offence caused, saying he had been invited to compete in a private tournament and was not initially aware that the teams would be labelled as national sides.
“I was not aware until later that they had named the side the India team,” Rajput said in his explanation. “Once I found out, I asked the organisers not to use national names.”
He insisted he had no intention of representing India in any official capacity, describing the event as a local club competition rather than an international match.
Mixed-nationality club participation is not uncommon in private kabaddi events, Rajput said, but he acknowledged that previous tournaments had not used formal national identifiers.
“I would never knowingly represent another country,” he added.
The controversy has ignited debate on social media in Pakistan where sporting ties with India are often viewed through the lens of broader political tensions. Officials say the federation’s meeting later this month will determine whether sanctions are imposed, potentially impacting Rajput’s future selection for national duty.