Former Huddersfield Town man Ramadan Sobhi has reportedly been jailed for 12 months after being found guilty in an academic fraud case in Egypt.
The 28-year-old, who made four Premier League appearances for the Terriers after joining from Stoke City in 2018, was handed the sentence by the Giza Criminal Court on Tuesday, December 30.
According to reports carried by international media, Sobhi was accused of falsifying official documents and arranging for another person to sit exams on his behalf at a private tourism and hospitality institute in Giza Governorate. He was arrested in July after returning to Egypt following a pre-season camp in Turkey with Pyramids FC, the club he has represented since 2020.
The same court is reported to have sentenced a second defendant to 12 months with labour, while a third defendant was acquitted. A fourth individual, described as a fugitive, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in absentia.
Sobhi’s representatives were not immediately available for comment following the verdict, with reports suggesting an appeal could still be lodged.
Big thank you to The Potters.. Thoroughly enjoyed my time in Stoke. Terriers, let’s make it a memorable journey! #RS14 #HTAFC pic.twitter.com/klgsNnO1Xr
— Ramadan Sobhi (@RamadanSobhi) June 12, 2018
Sobhi emerged as one of Egyptian football’s brightest prospects while coming through the youth system at Al Ahly. He made his senior debut at just 17 and quickly established himself in Cairo, winning multiple domestic honours before attracting interest from Europe.
That move arrived in 2016 when he joined Stoke City, spending two seasons in the Premier League and making 41 league appearances. In the summer of 2018, he signed for Huddersfield Town ahead of the Terriers’ second top-flight campaign, but his time in West Yorkshire proved brief. He featured only four times before returning to Egypt in early 2019.
Sobhi later joined Pyramids, where he became a regular first-team player and continued his international career with Egypt, earning 37 senior caps and featuring at the 2018 World Cup and 2020 Olympics.
The case comes in a period of wider off-field issues for the player. In November, the Court of Arbitration for Sport confirmed a four-year suspension following anti-doping rule violations, a separate matter which also continues to cast a shadow over his playing future.