Ex-Premier League footballer Ramadan Sobhi has reportedly been sent to prison after being found guilty of exam fraud in Egypt, reports express.co.uk. The 28-year-old played 45 matches in the Premier League during spells with Stoke City and Huddersfield Town.
 
Sobhi moved to England in 2016 after joining Stoke from Ahly SC. The attacking midfielder, who has regularly appeared alongside Liverpool star Mohamed Salah during international matches for Egypt, played 46 times for the Potters before signing for Huddersfield in 2018 ahead of the Terriers’ second season in the Premier League, which ended in relegation.  
 
However, he only played for the Yorkshire club four times before returning to his homeland to join Pyramids FC in a permanent deal in September 2020.
 
According to De Telegraaf, Sobhi was arrested in July following allegations of falsifying official documents and having another person take exams in his place at a private institute of tourism and hospitality. The exams had taken place in Giza Governorate, in central Egypt.
 
The report states that Sobhi and a second defendant were sentenced to 12 months in prison with hard labour by a judge at the Giza Criminal Court on Tuesday.
 
Sobhi’s lawyer wasn’t available for comment in the immediate aftermath of the verdict, but could launch an appeal.
  
Sobhi’s debut in the Premier League came in August 2016 when he came off the bench for the final two minutes of Stoke’s 4-1 defeat against Manchester City.
  
After completing a move to Huddersfield, Sobhi suffered a knee injury that ruled him out of action for two months. He played just 75 minutes of Premier League football for the Terriers before returning to Ahly SC on loan at the start of 2019. He ultimately departed the Accu Stadium permanently 20 months later.