He cost Stoke City £5m and later joined Huddersfield Town, now he’s facing jail | OneFootball

Former Stoke City and Huddersfield Town forward Ramadan Sobhi is facing time in prison after a four-year doping ban from football

Ramadan Sobhi is a name that only those at Stoke City and Huddersfield Town will likely be familiar with, as the Egyptian winger, following his torrid spell in England, has only gone from bad to worse since returning to Egypt.

Sobhi, 29, joined Stoke in the summer of 2016 for a reported £5 million, but struggled to make an impact during his two years with the Potters, and subsequently joined Huddersfield in the summer of 2018 for a reported fee of £5.7 million.

His stay with the Terriers, somehow, went even worse, as now the 37-cap Egyptian international's career has nosedived even further in a shocking recent twist.

Ex-Stoke City, Huddersfield Town man Ramadan Sobhi facing jail time after separate four-year ban for doping

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In March 2024, whilst playing for Pyramids FC, Sobhi failed a drugs test and, as a result, was given a provisional ban, which was lifted by the Egyptian Anti-Doping Organisation in July 2024 following a vote. However, upon an appeal from the World Anti-Doping Agency, Sobhi's ban was upheld, preventing him from partaking in any football-related activity until 2029.

His current employers, Pyramids, are now weighing up whether to terminate his contract, compounding misery for the 29-year-old, who, in December last year, received a one-year prison term after being found guilty of exam fraud.

A court in Giza was told he paid another person to sit exams in tourism and hospitality on his behalf at a college in the Egyptian city, but he has yet to serve his sentence in jail, which reportedly involves hard labour, as his lawyers launch an appeal.

Certainly, his time in England was a bit of a car crash, but Sobhi is seemingly looking to make matters worse for himself, and if that was his aim, he has definitely succeeded.

Ramadan Sobhi struggled at Stoke City and Huddersfield Town

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Sobhi, upon his move to Stoke in 2016, arrived with extremely high expectations, having reportedly fended off interest from both Arsenal and Roma for the youngster's signature.

However, he would struggle to nail down a place in the Potters' side, with Austrian maverick Marko Arnautović more often than not preferred on the left flank during his maiden year in North Staffordshire.

He would see his minutes increase the following season following Arnautovic's departure, but would fail to have the desired impact, as Stoke were relegated to the Championship in 2018.

Huddersfield offered him another shot in the top flight, which he could not take, as after just four appearances in six months in West Yorkshire, he'd return to Egypt, drawing a close to his miserable 30 months in England.

Ramadan Sobhi's career has spiralled after Stoke City and Huddersfield Town

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Since returning to Egypt, initially with Al Ahly on loan before joining Pyramids permanently in 2020, Sobhi has been a regular for the Giza-based outfit.

However, his off-field exploits have certainly been more interesting than what he has produced on the pitch, as not only does the 29-year-old face a long-term ban from the sport for doping, he faces a jail term after his academic fraud scandal.

His legal team successfully appealed the decision to send him to jail and suspended the execution of the sentence for three years, meaning he will not have to serve any jail time unless he commits a new legal violation during the three-year probationary period.

Given how his career has panned out, it wouldn't be a surprise at this stage if his off-field exploits take another turn for the worse. Although Sobhi is unlikely to serve any actual time in prison, his ban is still in effect, and he must be on his best behaviour from here on out.