Former Premier League footballer Ramadan Sobhi has been handed a one-year prison sentence after an Egyptian court found him guilty of academic fraud.
From Premier League Promise to Legal Peril
The 28-year-old winger, once hailed as the 'Egyptian Messi', saw his career take a dramatic turn from the football pitch to the courtroom. Sobhi's professional journey included a £5 million move to Stoke City in 2016 from Egyptian giants Al Ahly. He made 46 appearances for the Staffordshire club across two seasons before a transfer to Huddersfield Town in 2018 following Stoke's relegation.
A Cascade of Controversy in 2025
This prison sentence is the latest in a series of severe setbacks for the Pyramids FC star in 2025. In November, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) imposed a four-year playing ban on Sobhi for an anti-doping violation. This ruling came after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed an earlier decision by the Egyptian Anti-Doping Organisation to lift his provisional ban, which was initially triggered by a failed drugs test in March 2024.
The fraud case centres on Sobhi's studies at the Pharaonic Higher Institute for Tourism and Hotels in Giza. Prosecutors alleged that he and other defendants falsified official paperwork, including exam answer sheets and attendance records. It was further claimed that Sobhi had someone else sit his exams on his behalf.
Legal Proceedings and Club Reaction
During the investigation, Sobhi had publicly denied the allegations, telling an Egyptian outlet he had 'no knowledge of these certificates or records' and maintained he was still a third-year student. The court's verdict saw a second defendant sentenced to one year with labour, a third acquitted, and a fourth, who remains a fugitive, given a 10-year sentence in absentia.
In response to the judgement, sources within Sobhi's club, Pyramids FC, told Misr Connect that the club respects the judicial process but is awaiting an appeal from the player's legal team before making further comment. Sobhi had been a key part of the Pyramids side that won the CAF Champions League for the first time last season.
The twin blows of a lengthy doping ban and now a custodial sentence for fraud represent a stunning fall from grace for a player whose talent once earned him a coveted spot in England's top flight.
