# FIH clarifies India men wore white jerseys due to washing, visibility 2026-08-22T19:21:10+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has clarified that India's men's team wore white jerseys against the Netherlands in the ongoing World Cup due to factors including washing time and visibility. The Indian women's team, however, played the hosts in saffron jerseys on Friday, prompting questions about inconsistent uniform choices. An FIH statement said technical officials allocate uniforms based on "good visibility and contrast" and "allowing teams enough time for washing", as well as individual preferences. The tournament handbook gives the Technical Delegate absolute discretion over team clothing. Hockey India has been approached for comment on whether it made different requests for the two teams. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The washing clause suggests a logistical constraint: teams playing on consecutive days may need a spare kit if their primary colour clashes with the host's. India's men had a longer gap since their last pool match, but the women's team had less turnaround time yet wore saffron. This inconsistency points to either a different technical decision or a team preference. The real test is whether the FIH's discretion rule leads to fairer or more confusing outcomes. The next match involving India will show if a consistent policy emerges or if ad-hoc decisions remain the norm. ## Coverage - newindianexpress.com Straight reporting of FIH explanation and the factual discrepancy in turnaround times, with no editorialising. This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: FIH, Hockey India, Hockey World Cup, India men's hockey team, Netherlands Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/fih-clarifies-india-men-wore-white-jerseys-due-to-washing-visibility/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/fih-clarifies-india-men-wore-white-jerseys-due-to-washing-visibility/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/