Ex-Stoke City and Huddersfield Town man hit with four-year football ban | OneFootball

The 28-year-old is set for a lengthy absence from playing football

Former Huddersfield Town and Stoke City man Ramadan Sobhi has been suspended from football for four years.

Sobhi is perhaps not a name remembered too fondly by both Huddersfield and Stoke supporters, as he failed to leave a lasting impact at either club despite having over a combined £10m forked out on him by the two sides.

Six years after exiting English football, the 28-year-old is back in the headlines, but perhaps not for the best reasons.

Ramadan Sobhi to face four-year ban from football

The attacking midfielder moved to the Potters in the summer of 2016 for a reported £5m but failed to make much of an impression during his maiden season in English football, appearing just 17 times in the top-flight.

Performances did improve the second time around, with Sobhi scoring twice in 24 Premier League outings; however that wasn’t enough to prevent Stoke from suffering relegation to the Championship.

Looking to retain their top-flight status for consecutive seasons, Huddersfield Town swooped in to sign the Egyptian for a reported fee of £5.7m. However, he would play just our matches before joining Al-Alhy on loan in the following January.

That was the last time Sobhi was seen or heard from within the English game, until his name has recently resurfaced for unfortunate reasons. In March 2024, the former Stoke and Huddersfield man failed a drugs test.

The Pyramids FC man was hit with a provisional ban, which was lifted by the Egyptian Anti-Doping Organisation in July 2024 following a vote. However, the World Anti-Doping Agency have since appealed that verdict, looking to impose a four-year suspension upon Sobhi.

According to Egyptian news outlet Yallakora, the World Anti-Doping Agency have won out and subsequently opted to impose the ban.

Sobhi has been out of action for the majority of this season due to a knee injury, with this news of a four-year ban further compounding his woes.

Stoke City and Huddersfield Town fans aren’t likely to feel too bad for Ramadan Sobhi

Although nobody actively seeks for an athlete to be banned from competing, Stoke City and Huddersfield Town supporters won’t feel too bad for their former player.

The 28-year-old did show flashes of potential for the Potters, but will always be associated with a time when their long-time Premier League status eventually looked to be at risk, eventually culminating in relegation.

Huddersfield fans will feel even less emotion for Sobhi, as their club spent a large chunk of their budget on the playmaker, only for him to play four matches and fail to prevent them from suffering relegation too.