Salah’s teammate Sobhi has been sentenced to a year in prison in an academic fraud case

Egypt international Ramadan Sobhi, who helped Pyramids to their first CAF Champions League title last season and previously played in the English Premier League, has been sentenced to one year in prison in connection with an academic fraud case, local media reported on Tuesday.

Sobhi was arrested in July upon returning from Turkey, where Pyramids had completed a preseason camp, following accusations of forging official documents and having another individual take exams on his behalf at a private tourism and hospitality institute in Giza Governorate, Central Egypt.

The Giza Criminal Court on Tuesday sentenced 28-year-old Sobhi and a second defendant to one year in prison, acquitted a third and imposed a 10-year prison sentence in absentia on a fourth, who is on the run.

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Sobhi’s attorney was not immediately available for comment.

In addition to the prison sentence, Sobhi faces a four-year ban after the Court of Arbitration for Sport confirmed anti-doping rule violations in November.

Sobhi, who has made 37 appearances for Egypt, started his career at Al-Ahly before moving to England in 2016, where he played for Stoke City and Huddersfield Town.

Sobhi joined Pyramids in 2020 from Huddersfield Town, following a loan spell at Al-Ahly, and played a key role in helping Pyramids secure their first CAF Champions League title after beating Mamelodi Sundowns in the final.

Published on December 31, 2025