Orange win Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling to return to Egyptian football competitions

Orange have secured a ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirming their right to take part in competitions organised by the Egyptian Football Association.

The decision requires the Egyptian FA to restore Orange to the Egyptian Third Division, where the club competes.

The ruling follows a dispute over Orange’s participation in the 2026-27 season. The Egyptian FA’s board had previously excluded the club from its competitions after deciding that Orange had not fulfilled the legal licensing requirement needed to conduct sporting activities.

According to the Egyptian FA, Orange had not submitted evidence of holding a valid licence to operate as a sports club by 13 August 2026. The federation said that failure meant the club did not satisfy one of the legal conditions required for entry into the competitions it organises.

Orange responded by issuing a statement rejecting its exclusion from the Egyptian FA’s competitions. The club then pursued the matter through the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which has now ruled in its favour and ordered the federation to reinstate it in the Egyptian Third Division.

As part of the measures connected to Orange’s exclusion, the Egyptian FA also removed all players registered on the club’s official lists for the 2026-27 sporting season from the registration system.

The dispute also led to events at the Egyptian FA’s headquarters. Orange published videos showing players and members of the coaching staff gathering inside the federation’s offices in an attempt to resolve the situation.

The Egyptian FA subsequently suspended eight Orange coaches and administrators whom it held responsible for the incidents at its headquarters. They were referred to the disciplinary committee.

Those suspended were head coach Hussein Mahmoud Sweilem Selim, assistant coach El-Sayed Ali El-Sayed Ali, general manager of the football sector Mohamed Osama Ahmed Zidan, goalkeeping coach Ali Mohsen Ali Hussein, fitness coach Mohamed Hassan Ezzat Rashed, administrative manager Wael Mohamed Mohamed Abdel Gawad, player affairs administrator Hafez Masry Hafez Abdel Sayed, and coach Mahmoud Oweis Eid Moatamad.

Orange’s successful appeal means the club is entitled to resume participation in the Egyptian FA’s competitions, with the CAS ruling specifically requiring its return to the Egyptian Third Division.

Before the final withdrawal of its licence was considered, the Egyptian FA had given Orange a period in which to regularise and document its position. The federation nevertheless concluded that the club had not provided the necessary valid licence by the deadline, prompting the original decision to exclude it from the 2026-27 season.

The CAS ruling now overturns the practical effect of that exclusion and places the responsibility on the Egyptian FA to return Orange to the local competition.