Look out for us sneaky Germans at Hockey!

[Supafly]

This story made my day!

New hockey rule proving a trap for the unwary

The Black Sticks men and women will have to be on high alert at the London Olympics, with a unique hockey rule already prompting concern ahead of the Games.

Germany beat Great Britain 3-1 in a men's Olympic test event overnight, but it was the first goal of the game that had everyone talking.

With the scores tied at halftime, Germany were the first team out for the start of the second period. When the clock reached zero, the Great Britain team were still making their way onto the pitch.

The game rules state that when the clock hits zero, the game must begin, so the umpires blew their whistles to start the second half and Germany's Florian Fuchs was able to deflect the ball into an empty net.

Despite the goal giving Germany a lead they would not relinquish, coach Markus Weise told the BBC after the game it was not a good look for the sport.

"To me it sounds like a typical hockey thing. I can't imagine any other sports starting [like that].

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New rule says: the second half starts as the game timer chimes in, not when the ref blows his whistle. Background is, teams shall be prevented to extend their break-time too much.

Better check beforehand how long it takes for your team to make it back up to the pitch, or this can happen again