The court announced its final verdict of one year of hard labor for Ramadan Sobhi and the first defendant, and 10 years of hard labor for the fourth defendant, after they were all convicted of involvement in official documents at a tourism and hotel institute in the Abu Nimras area of Giza, and the acquittal of the second defendant in the forgery case.
Ramadan Sobhi arrived at the court premises in a police transport vehicle, after being transferred from the Abu Nimras police station, amidst tight security measures imposed by the security services in the vicinity of the court.
According to media reports, Ramadan Sobhi, during his interrogation, categorically denied any connection to the forgery incident, stressing that he had no knowledge of the incident or that he had signed any documents related to the exams, indicating that his name was included in the case without any legal basis linking him to it.
Ramadan Sobhi and three others were charged with facilitating impersonation within a private institute, where one of them, in exchange for money, attended the exam and answered the questions in place of the player.
Reports indicate that one of the accused confessed during the Public Prosecution's investigations to the role of each accused in the incident.
The accused, Youssef M.S., a 23-year-old worker with a Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, admitted that the so-called Mohamed Ibrahim had agreed with him to facilitate his entry into the institute without any financial compensation.
The sentencing hearing witnessed a remarkable turnout from the player's teammates at Pyramids FC, with Mohamed Reda Bobo making sure to be present to support Ramadan Sobhi, along with goalkeeper Sherif Ekramy and Ali Gabr, who affirmed their confidence in the Egyptian judiciary and that "justice will take its course."
The case began last July, when security services arrested a young man as he entered to take an exam in place of Ramadan Sobhi, with the help of a security guard at the institute.
The investigations revealed an agreement to forge answer booklets and attendance sheets for the first, second and third academic years in the Tourism Studies Department, with the aim of proving fictitious attendance and success, in exchange for sums of money, including the transfer of 50,000 pounds in one of the incidents.
The South Giza General Prosecution referred the four defendants to criminal trial in September, after Ramadan Sobhi was released on bail of 100,000 Egyptian pounds.
The first trial sessions began in October and witnessed several postponements as the defenses, witnesses, and technical reports continued to be considered, including the forensic report which denied that some of the defendants had written the statements.
The case is one of the most prominent sports-educational issues of 2025, and it sparked widespread controversy about the phenomenon of "organized cheating" in some private institutes, and its impact on the reputation of Egyptian athletes.
