Ramadan Sobhi loses appeal against four-year doping ban

Ramadan Sobhi’s appeal against a four-year suspension has been rejected by the Swiss Federal Supreme Court.

The Pyramids FC player will therefore remain prohibited from carrying out any football-related activity until 2029.

The ban means Sobhi cannot train, use sports facilities or play for any professional team during the suspension period.

The case began after a problem was identified with a sample provided by Sobhi during a doping test. The World Anti-Doping Agency subsequently imposed a four-year suspension on the player.

In a statement previously reported by MBC Masr, former Egypt international goalkeeper Ekramy El-Shahat said there had been co-operation between himself, Al Ahly president Mahmoud El Khatib, lawyer Abdullah Shehata, Sobhi’s legal representative Hany Zahran and a Swiss law firm handling the case before the Swiss Federal Supreme Court.

“There is communication between me and Mahmoud El Khatib, who assigned Abdullah Shehata to work with Hany Zahran, Ramadan Sobhi’s lawyer, and the Swiss office on the doping case before the Federal Court,” El-Shahat said.

Hazem Khairat, head of the Egyptian Anti-Doping Organisation, previously said the sample contained irregularities involving its codes.

“Ramadan was suspended until the investigation was completed, while the hearing committee decided to lift the suspension and impose no punishment until the case was concluded,” Khairat said.

The decision to lift the suspension was announced by the Egyptian Anti-Doping Organisation on Tuesday, 16 July 2024.

That decision was then challenged, taking the dispute to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Khairat said both the World Anti-Doping Agency and the Egyptian Anti-Doping Organisation had appealed against the decision to lift Sobhi’s suspension.

He said he did not know whether Sobhi had asked the organisation for financial compensation.

Explaining the circumstances of the case, Khairat said: “When Ramadan Sobhi’s sample was analysed, it became clear that it did not belong to the human component. This means either that the sample had been tampered with or that a prohibited anti-doping method had been used.”

Khairat added that the final decision would come from the international court.

“The final decision in Ramadan Sobhi’s case will be issued by the international court. This is the first incident of its kind in Egypt, and if a sanction is imposed, it will apply to both the player and the Egyptian organisation,” he said.

The Swiss Federal Supreme Court has now rejected Sobhi’s appeal, leaving the four-year suspension in place and preventing him from taking part in football activities until 2029.