World Squash Officiating (WSO) has released an official statement following a controversial match at the Karachi Open where Egyptian player Fares Dessouky received multiple conduct violations and ultimately lost by default.

 

The incident occurred on January 7 during a Round of 16 match between Dessouky, ranked 15th in the world, and Pakistan's Noor Zaman, the under-23 world champion ranked 38th. 

 

The confrontation escalated when Dessouky questioned the referee's nationality, creating a tense atmosphere on court.

 

 

Dessouky challenged several calls throughout the match and repeatedly disputed decisions made by Pakistani referee Sajjad Khan. 

 

The situation reached a breaking point in the fifth game when Dessouky, trailing 3-6, refused to accept the referee's authority. Despite multiple warnings, he continued arguing and shouting from outside the court, prompting the referee to award the match to Zaman.

 

WSO's statement outlined the sequence of penalties Dessouky received: a conduct warning for dissent at 7-7 in the fourth game, a conduct stroke during the interval that gave Zaman a 1-0 lead to start the fifth game, another warning for racket abuse at 5-3, and finally a conduct match penalty at 6-3 for directing an audible obscenity at the official.

 

The organization acknowledged one scoring error during the second game where Zaman incorrectly received two points instead of one. WSO will conduct a full review of the match and provide feedback to the referee while addressing the error with Dessouky.

 

Refree Sajjad Khan also filed a formal report with the Professional Squash Association (PSA) regarding the incident. Dessouky shook hands with Zaman as he left the court.

 

"Referees can make mistakes, but players need to maintain proper behavior," Zaman said after the match, expressing disappointment at how it ended.

 

Zaman's tournament run ended in the quarterfinals on January 9, when he lost to Egypt's Mohamed Elshorbagy, the fourth seed and world number 9, in a thrilling five-game match at DHA Creek Club.