CONTROVERSY erupted on the eve of the qualifying rounds for the Asia Inc-Perrier Championship with Hong Kong Sports Institute coach Fayyaz Mohammad competing against two of his charges for the opportunity to play.
Vacancies for local players are at a premium for the tournament with overseas entries filling 12 of the 16 berths in the qualifying rounds which start today at the Hong Kong Squash Centre.
Junior international Wong Wai-hang and Hong Kong-based Singaporean Peter Hill were awarded places in the draw while Mohammad also got in on the strength of his 142nd world ranking.
That left HKSI scholarship athletes - Yang Man-sum and Au Chun-tat - tussling for the remaining berth, and there was pressure on Mohammad to step down and give the opportunity to the two youngsters.
''I don't mind letting Yang and Au play but I paid the Professional Squash Association's membership out of my own pocket and I have every right to play in the tournament,'' said Mohammad, who is also the event organiser.
''If anyone should withdraw, it should be Peter because he is not a PSA member and not a Hong Kong international either.'' Hong Kong Squash Racquet Association director of coaching Tony Choi Yuk-kwan, however, slammed Mohammad for robbing a youngster of the exposure to high-level competition.
