England’s Commonwealth Games hockey match against Canada was marred by a wild fight — and one player was sent off after “choking” a rival during a fit of rage.
The hosts were leading the match in Birmingham 4-1 when the fight broke out, The Sun reports.
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An England player appeared to tackle a Canadian rival with his hockey stick before receiving a yellow card.
But a melee swiftly ensued between England’s Chris Griffiths and Canada’s Balraj Panesar in the aftermath.
Griffiths appeared to pull on Panesar’s stick, sending his opponent into a blind rage. Panesar lashed out by grabbing Griffiths’ shirt as the two men’s butted heads.
However, Panesar took things up a notch when he then took hold of Griffiths’ neck, appearing to choke the England ace momentarily.
Griffiths responded as such, grabbing Panesar’s shirt while shoving him away.
Players from both sides then stepped in to defuse the situation.
Griffiths picked up a yellow card for his troubles but Panesar did not get off as lightly. He was shown a straight red card for his actions on the pitch.
England took advantage of the extra man as they went 5-1 up almost instantly.
They then ended the game on a high, winning 11-2. The result means England will play Australia in the semi-finals.
This story first appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission
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