World No.1 Mostafa Asal has been hit with a six-week ban after being cited for “dangerous play” on the PSA World Tour as the young Egyptian’s career took another wild turn on Monday night.
As revealed by Squash Mad, the 21-year-old Egyptian was present at a disciplinary hearing mid-tournament last week at the Canary Wharf Classic, hours before losing his semi-final match.
The PSA announced that Asal’s ban would begin with immediate effect, coupled with a £2,000 fine. It his second suspension from the tour after being handed a two-month suspension in January 2022 following on-court disciplinary matters.
Asal wrote on social media beneath the PSA post: “Ahahahahaha WR 1 Mostafa Asal has been given *
“The full story will be live soon. Good luck with your sport.”
The ban means that the controversial young star can’t play in this week’s Optasia Championships in Wimbledon and next month’s British Open. But he can compete in May’s World Championships in the US, with his ban ending on May 1.
Asal’s charge related to PSA Code of Conduct under Article 4.P relating to ‘Dangerous Play’. “These incidents occurred during his quarter-final and semi-final matches at the 2022 CIB Egyptian Open,” the PSA said in a statement.
The PSA didn’t specify the exact nature of Asal’s charge following his win over compatriot Mazan Hesham in the last eight and defeat to Ali Farag in the last four. That latter match saw Asal penalised several times for conduct strokes in a highly contentious clash.
His father, Mahmoud, had been suspended in January from attending any PSA tournaments until November “following a formal investigation into his behaviour during the CIB Egyptian Open in September 2022.”
Mostafa had lodged an appeal which was heard by an independent Appeals Panel last Thursday in London.
“At this stage, the PSA has no further comments on the matter,” the tour body added late on Monday night.