Aamir Atlas Khan, who is ranked at No. 23 in the international rankings, has been barred from playing national or international tournaments. Yasir Butt, another member of the Pakistan team was banned for a year while Waqar Mehboob received a six-month sentence. Nasir Iqbal, the fourth member of the team, was let off with a warning.

Irfan Asghar – the Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) secretary who was the team’s manager in Germany, was left off the hook with just a warning.

The Pakistanis, six-time former champions, crashed to a stunning 22nd place in the 32-nation World Team Championship following defeats against Asian rivals Malaysia and minnows Denmark.

PSF chiefs, who were under pressure following the humiliating result, decided to launch a probe into the German debacle.

Following a marathon meeting of the PSF Executive Committee held at the Mushaf Squash Complex in Islamabad on Wednesday, it was decided unanimously that strict sanctions were needed against those who “did not uphold the good name of Pakistan Squash.”

“Team manager presented his report to the committee in which the related video recordings of the games were presented and analyzed in detail,” said a media release issued by the PSF on Thursday.

“Subsequently, all players were given a chance to clarify their position. They were cross-questioned by the committee. This marathon session lasted for 7 to 8 hours in which the matter was deliberated at length.

“The disciplinary committee came to the conclusion that the players under-performed and did not uphold the good name of Pakistan squash,” it added.

The committee decided to ban Aamir for two years and during that period he won’t be able to take part in national or international events. He won’t be allowed to use training or playing facilities in Pakistan either. Yasir Butt received a one-year ban while Waqar was banned for six months.

Pakistan flopped miserably in Paderborn with their lowest point coming in a Pool E match against Denmark.

A well-placed source told Arab News that after watching video recordings of a few games; the Executive Committee was convinced that some of the players had under-performed in Germany.

“The players especially Aamir were too casual during the matches,” said a source privy to the happenings of Wednesday’s meetings.

Aamir failed to give his best when it mattered most. Denmark’s Kristian Frost Olesen, placed much lower that Aamir in the world rankings at No. 67, beat him 11-2, 9-11, 11-4, 11-9 in 39 minutes to take Denmark into the last 16 of the championship.

Another source told Arab News that PSF chiefs have tried to shift the blame entirely on its players even though it was itself responsible for the debacle.

It was evident even before the event’s start that the PSF failed to pick the best team for the event. Initially, they had ignored Aamir– the country’s top player. The Peshawar boy was only added to the four-man team at the last moment after he reached the final of this year’s Malaysian Open.

The PSF also defied all logic by deciding against sending a qualified coach with what was already a pretty weak team. Instead it showed faith in the ‘abilities’ of its secretary – Irfan Asghar – who was sent to Paderborn as Pakistan’s manager.

Just weeks before the Germany assignment, Asghar’s blunder had prevented Pakistan from featuring in the World Junior Championship in Belgium. Pakistan, among the title favorites in Belgium, was denied Belgian visas. It was later learned that the PSF failed to obtain visa letters from the event’s organizers in time because it had been pursuing officials of the World Men’s Team Championship in Germany for the documents.