Support grows for Pyramids FC forward Ramadan Sobhi as legal battle escalates

Ramadan Sobhi’s crisis has deepened after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) handed the Pyramids star a four-year suspension over alleged manipulation of a doping sample from a CAF Confederation Cup match.

Away from sporting sanctions, he also faces a criminal case on accusations of falsifying official documents after someone is alleged to have taken academic exams on his behalf, with Sobhi held in custody until 30 December pending a final ruling.

Before Pyramids’ CAF Champions League group match against Zambia’s Power Dynamos, his teammates sent a powerful message of solidarity by walking out with his No. 10 shirt, dedicating the gesture to the 28-year-old during what the club described as a “great ordeal.”

CEO Mamdouh Eid held a meeting with Sobhi’s family and his brother-in-law, goalkeeper Sherif Ekramy, to underline the board’s full backing, while Pyramids publicly thanked Al Ahly and its president Mahmoud El Khatib after the player’s former club pledged legal support.

On the legal front, Sobhi’s lawyer Ashraf Abdel Aziz has filed an official complaint with the Egyptian Bar Association against fellow lawyer Omar Haridy, who represents another defendant in the case.

Abdel Aziz said in a formal statement that his colleague’s conduct “requires accountability in an unprecedented professional incident,” explaining that he chose to go through the Bar rather than the courts for now, after comments Haridy made in the media “harmed my client’s reputation” and disclosed details he believes should have remained confidential. He went on to thank Al Ahly, Pyramids and Egyptian fans for standing behind Sobhi during the ongoing saga.