Former Premier League footballer Ramadan Sobhi has reportedly been found guilty of exam fraud in Egypt and sent to prison. The 28-year-old had spells with Stoke City and Huddersfield Town, making 45 appearances in the Premier League.
Sobi moved to England in 2016 after joining Stoke from Ahly SC. The attacking midfielder, who regularly features alongside Liverpool star Mohamed Salah in international games for Egypt, made 46 appearances for the Potters and signed for Huddersfield in 2018 ahead of the Terriers’ second season in the Premier League, which ended in relegation. However, he only played four games for the Yorkshire club before returning to his home country in September 2020, joining Pyramid FC on a permanent contract.
Sobhi was arrested in July on suspicion of forging official documents and having someone else take an exam on his behalf at a private tourism and hospitality institute, De Telegraaf newspaper reported. The test was conducted in Giza Governorate, central Egypt.
According to reports, Sobhi and a second defendant were sentenced to 12 months in prison with hard labor by a judge at the Giza Criminal Court on Tuesday.
Mr. Sobhi’s lawyer was not available for comment immediately after the verdict, but he may begin an appeal.
Sobi made his Premier League debut in August 2016, coming off the bench in the final two minutes of Stoke’s 4-1 defeat to Manchester City.
The talented player replaced Marko Arnautovic that day against the likes of John Stones, Raheem Sterling and David Silva.
During his time at Bet365 Stadium, he was a representative player, starting in six consecutive league games between February and April 2017, and contributing an assist in the opening game against Crystal Palace.
The attacker then scored back-to-back goals in league games against West Brom and Huddersfield in December 2017.
After completing his move to Huddersfield, Sobi suffered a knee injury that kept him out of action for two months. He played just 75 minutes in the Premier League for the Terriers before returning to Arhari SC on loan in early 2019. He ultimately left Accu Stadium 20 months later on a permanent transfer.
Sobhi made 37 appearances for Egypt, appearing in all three group games at the 2018 World Cup. He also represented his country at the 2020 Olympics. His most recent appearance for Egypt was at the 2022 African Cup of Nations, where he came on as a substitute in the semi-final win over Cameroon.
The player helped the Pyramids win the CAF Champions League last season, but is currently serving a four-year ban from football after the Court of Arbitration for Sport found he had breached anti-doping rules in November.
