Egyptian international Ramadan Sobhi has been sentenced to one year in prison with labor after an Egyptian court found him guilty in a high-profile academic fraud case, according to local media reports on Tuesday.
The ruling was handed down by the Giza Criminal Court, which convicted the 28-year-old footballer of falsifying official documents and arranging for another individual to sit academic examinations on his behalf at a private tourism and hospitality institute in Giza Governorate. The court also sentenced a second defendant to one year in prison, acquitted a third, and issued a 10-year sentence in absentia to a fourth suspect who remains at large.
Sobhi was arrested in July upon his return to Egypt from Turkey, where his club had been holding a pre-season training camp. Prosecutors alleged that the fraud scheme involved forged paperwork and impersonation during exams, prompting authorities to open a criminal investigation that ultimately led to Tuesday’s verdict.
Attempts to reach Sobhi’s legal team for comment were unsuccessful.
The prison sentence adds to an already turbulent period in the midfielder’s career. In November, the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld findings of anti-doping violations against Sobhi, resulting in a four-year suspension from professional football.
Despite the legal troubles, Sobhi had enjoyed recent success on the pitch. Last season, he played a pivotal role in guiding Pyramids FC to their first-ever CAF Champions League title, defeating Mamelodi Sundowns in the final.
Sobhi has earned 37 caps for Egypt and began his professional career at Al Ahly SC before moving to England in 2016. He featured in the Premier League with Stoke City and later Huddersfield Town. In 2020, he returned to Egypt, joining Pyramids from Huddersfield following a loan spell back at Al Ahly.
The latest verdict casts a long shadow over the career of a player once regarded as one of Egypt’s brightest footballing talents.
