Guidelines for the application ofRule 15 Violations
Rule 15 mandates that in the event of unacceptable behaviour on court the Referee “shallpenalise the player.” However, the severity of the offence and the nature of the penalty areleft to the discretion of the Referee. This has led over the years frequently to the impositionof different penalties (or none at all) for similar offences, depending on who is refereeing. On
the one hand, a harsh (inappropriate) penalty might be assessed for a single or mild offence;
while on the other hand, a serious offence is penalised lightly, or not at all. The players do
not know in advance what standards will be applied, and the Referees are left individually toset their own standards.
The development of these Guidelines is an attempt to bring some order to the existing
chaos, and to offer both Referees and players some guidance on the application of Rule 15.
If Referees follow these Guidelines fairly closely, then players will know in advance what thestandards are in relation to Rule 15. This is, in effect, no different from the desirability ofknowing what the standards are for the application of the rules concerning interference: agreater measure of consistency is the aim. The achievement of such consistency will greatly
benefit the sport of squash.
Referees will apply the following Guidelines in the appropriate circumstances. While theReferee under Rule 15 retains discretion in deciding whether or not there has been anoffence under that Rule, once the Referee has decided that an offence has occurred, thefollowing actions must be taken:
Abuse of equipment (racket or ball or other equipment):
Minor offence (e.g. throwing the racket onto the floor after losing a game, hitting the ballhard after the rally is over): Conduct Warning
Major offence (e.g. deliberately breaking the racket; smashing the racket against the wall;
hitting the ball or throwing the racket out of the court): Conduct Stroke
Audible or Visible Obscenity:
Minor offence (e.g. muttered expletive; blaspheming): Conduct Warning
Major offence (e.g. audible obscenity): Conduct Stroke
Time-wasting:Minor offence (e.g. a few seconds late back on court; taking excessive time to serve):
Conduct Warning
Major offence (e.g. very late back on court; prolonged discussion with Referee): Conduct
StrokeDissent:
Minor offence (e.g. questioning a decision): Conduct Warning
Major offence (e.g. prolonged or repeated questioning of or disagreement with decisions):
Conduct Stroke
Abuse of Official:
Minor offence (e.g. unflattering comments about official or decisions): Conduct Warning
Major offence (e.g. pejorative comments about official or decisions): Conduct Stroke
Severe offence (e.g. hitting ball at official or into spectators; throwing racket at official or
into spectators): Conduct Game or Match (depending on the severity of the offence andthe danger caused)
Excessive physical contact:
Minor offence (e.g. running into the opponent): Conduct warning
Major offence (e.g. physical abuse of the opponent): Conduct Stroke
Severe offence (e.g. deliberately injuring the opponent; dangerous play that injures theopponent): Conduct Game or Match (depending on the severity of the offence and theextent of the injury caused)
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Unsporting conduct:
Minor offence (e.g. making negative comments to the opponent): Conduct Warning
Major offence (e.g. repeated negative or pejorative comments to the opponent; any
attempt at intimidation of the opponent): Conduct Stroke
Severe offence (e.g. extreme behaviour that brings the game into disrepute): Conduct
Game or Match (depending on the severity of the offence)
Coaching:
First occurrence: Conduct Warning
Second occurrence: Conduct Stroke and expulsion of offending person
Repeated and excessive bad conduct:
When, in the Referee’s opinion, the player is guilty of repeated acts of unacceptableconduct on court following the imposition of the penalties outlined above, the Referee
may impose for the next occurrence of the offence either the same penalty for the second
offence or a more severe penalty than the one already imposed. However, if a ConductWarning has been given for both the first and the second offences, for the third offence ofa similar nature a Conduct Stroke must be applied. (Example: If a player has received aConduct Warning for Dissent, on the next occurrence of this offence, either a ConductWarning or a Conduct Stroke may be imposed. On the third occurrence, however, aConduct Stroke is mandatory.)

Conduct on Court Violation Reporting Process
When a conduct penalty (other than a warning) is imposed against a player, the Match
Referee and the TR must report the incident using the Conduct on Court Report Form.
Should the TR have to take action against a player for any other (off-court) conduct
violation, it is essential that a written report be sent to the WSF and the relevant Player
Association within ten (10) days of the incident. The report should cover the following
details: Name of Tournament, dates and venue Name of individual against whom the complaint is made The name(s) and status (e.g. Official, Referee, Marker, Social, Committee, Spectator,Press, Administration) of those involved
 A detailed report of the incident from the TR
 Action taken (if any).
The report may also cover incidents involving the organisation and administration of theevent including: Late withdrawal:
Main draw: after the closing date for entries
Qualifying: 7 days after the closing date for entries
 Punctuality: any player not ready to play within ten (10) minutes after the match iscalled and where the TR or Tournament Director defaults the player
 Dress and Equipment: wearing of unacceptable attire, including sweatshirts, gym
shorts, running shorts, T-shirts and failing to comply with an order from the TR tochange Leaving Court: leaving the court area during a match without the permission of theReferee Best Efforts: failing to use best efforts to win a match Failure to complete a match unless reasonably unable to do so.

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Process for Dealing with Conduct on Court Violation
Reports

The Director of the Disciplinary Committee, in consultation with his/her committee,should review each report in conjunction with any previous reports on the same player
If the violation occurs at a WSF event, the Director should then determine whether theindividual incident, or the pattern of behaviour, warrants any further action within 24hours
A charge of "bringing the game in to disrepute" or "unsporting" behaviour may be laid,banning the player from taking part in future WSF World Championships
If a charge is not warranted, the report will be kept on file and may become relevant if
there are further violations that warrant a charge because of the accumulation ofviolations, or may be relevant as part of the player's history if a penalty is being
considered for another offence
If no action is to be taken, a warning letter should be sent to the player copying both his
Member Nation, Regional Federation and PSA or WSA as appropriate
Copies of the Rule 15 report form and a report of any action taken should be forwarded
to the player's Member Nation, Regional Federation and PSA or WSA, as appropriate
The Referee who submitted the original report should receive a copy of the Disciplinary
Committee’s report, whether any further action is taken against the player or not.

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