Ramadan Sobhi ‘Banned From Football For Four Years’

Former Premier League star Ramadan Sobhi – who played for Stoke City and Huddersfield Town during his playing days in England – has been banned from football for a four-year period after a doping violation, reports have suggested. The 28-year-old attacking midfielder has also been accused of forgery in his homeland of Egypt.

Ready to light up the Premier League, Stoke captured the signature of Sobhi from Al Ahly in 2016 and there was plenty of excitement surrounding his arrival as he looked to provide competition to then-Potters star duo Xherdan Shaqiri and Marko Arnautovic.

It was back in March 2024 when Sobhi, who enjoyed two seasons in the English top flight (2016/17 and 2017/18), initially failed a drugs test. He was subsequently hit with a provisional ban, but that was later lifted by the Egyptian Anti-Doping Organization.

WADA, the World Anti-Doping Agency, appealed the decision for his suspension to be rubbish and thus were seeking a four-year suspension for the footballer. And, according to Egyptian outlet Yallakora, per The Sun, the Court of Arbitration for Sport has sided with WADA and have opted to impose a four-year ban on Sobhi. According to reports, Hazem Khamis, head of the Egyptian Anti-Doping Organisation, told reporters:

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Previously dubbed the “Egyptian Messi”, comparisons with the Argentine superstar Lionel Messi – and record winner, having won it eight times during his career, of the Ballon d’Or – were well-documented as the young forward dazzled the opposition with his direct running and exquisite close control.

Now, just shy of a decade on from his arrival in the Premier League, he is facing four years away from action, but he does have the option to appeal the decision in federal court. Sobhi is yet to comment on his ban, but his lawyer has claimed that an appeal, set to be put forward to the Swiss Federal Court, will be their plan moving forward.

Sobhi, who has played alongside Ahmed Hegazy, Mohamed Elneny and Mohamed Salah on the international stage, began his career at famous Egyptian outfit Al-Ahly before moving to England in 2016, where he played 46 matches for Stoke before moving to Huddersfield – a side he turned out for on a mere four occasions – in the summer of 2018.

His time in England came to a close when he joined Pyramids FC in the summer of 2020. Before that, the 1997-born star – born in the Egyptian capital of Cairo – embarked on two separate loan spells at Ah Ahly, who are the most successful club in world football by virtue of trophies and honours.

Sobhi Has Also Been Accused of Falsifying Education Documents

Not only has he been slapped with a four-year ban for concerns surrounding doping, accusations of forgery have also landed in the lap of his lawyer. Allegedly, the 37-cap Egypt international falsified paperwork at the Pharaonic Higher Institute for Tourism and Hotels. There are also claims that he got someone else to sit an exam for him.

“I have no knowledge of these certificates or records… I have never seen them, and I am still a third-year student,” he said in response. With him remaining in custody for the time being, the footballer’s next hearing is scheduled for December 30.

Sobhi, whose times in the Potteries is not fondly remembered, has also been accused of drawing up official documents for exams that never took place. He last played for Pyramids FC in a Fifa Intercontinental Cup match – a 13-minute cameo in his side’s 3-0 win over Auckland City – on September 14, and he has since been sidelined with a knee injury.

All statistics per Transfermarkt – correct as of 27/11/2025