World No.1 Mostafa Asal is facing another Professional Squash Association disciplinary investigation after a series of incidents during his Qatar Classic quarter-final against Aly Abou Eleinen and in the immediate post-match interviews.
The PSA said Asal is being investigated for alleged breaches of five sections of its Code of Conduct: unprofessional conduct, public relations, audible obscenity, unsportsmanlike conduct and aggravated behaviour. The incidents took place during the September 15 match in Doha and afterwards. The PSA Disciplinary Committee is due to meet on Sep 29.
Asal beat fellow Egyptian Abou Eleinen 11-5, 11-4, 12-14, 12-10 to reach the semi-finals, but the match was overshadowed by a physical incident in the third game.
With Asal leading 2-0 and 7-5, he became tangled with Abou Eleinen after playing a deceptive shot. Asal grabbed his opponent’s arm as he lost his balance, an incident which prompted an immediate reaction and subsequently became the focus of the post-match discussion.
Asal later told SquashTV that the contact was accidental and said he had been trying to prevent his ankle twisting.
“I was completely out of balance. I played a deceptive shot and Aly was going the other way,” Asal said. “There is no need for those stupid things. Maybe people are angry, it looks bad on TV. I was in shock afterwards. I was 2-0 and 7-5 up, why would I do those things?”
He did not apologise during the interview, although he said the incident was right to be highlighted. He subsequently called for a meeting involving the top 20 players and referees to address the sport’s ongoing disputes over officiating and player conduct ahead of squash’s Olympic debut at LA 2028.
The episode came after Asal had already attracted attention in Doha for his criticism of refereeing and the Olympics. Squash Mad reported that, following his quarter-final victory, he questioned whether squash deserved its place in the Olympics and delivered an emotional series of post-match interviews.
The latest investigation adds to a disciplinary history that has already resulted in three PSA suspensions.
Asal accepted a two-month suspension in January 2022 for on-court disciplinary matters. In March 2023 he received a six-week suspension and £2,000 fine for two breaches relating to dangerous play during his quarter-final and semi-final matches at the 2022 CIB Egyptian Open.
In August 2023 he was given a further 12-week suspension and £5,000 fine after the PSA found breaches involving abuse of racket or equipment, unsportsmanlike conduct, physical abuse and dangerous play during the World Championships in Chicago. The disciplinary committee described the scale and repetitive nature of the offences as aggravated behaviour.
That made the Qatar Classic case at least the fourth formal PSA disciplinary matter involving Asal since 2022, although the PSA’s current announcement describes it as an investigation rather than a finding of misconduct.
The 2023 suspension was his third ban in 18 months and amounted to 26 weeks of suspensions. Asal accepted the sanction without appealing.