Ex-Premier League footballer Ramadan Sobhi has reportedly been sent to prison after being found guilty of exam fraud in Egypt. The 28-year-old played 45 matches in the Premier League during spells with Stoke City and Huddersfield Town.

Sobhi moved to England in 2016 after joining Stoke from Ahly SC. The attacking midfielder, who has regularly appeared alongside Liverpool star Mohamed Salah during international matches for Egypt, played 46 times for the Potters before signing for Huddersfield in 2018 ahead of the Terriers’ second season in the Premier League, which ended in relegation. However, he only played for the Yorkshire club four times before returning to his homeland to join Pyramids FC in a permanent deal in September 2020.

According to De Telegraaf, Sobhi was arrested in July following allegations of falsifying official documents and having another person take exams in his place at a private institute of tourism and hospitality. The exams had taken place in Giza Governorate, in central Egypt.

The report states that Sobhi and a second defendant were sentenced to 12 months in prison with hard labour by a judge at the Giza Criminal Court on Tuesday.

Sobhi’s lawyer wasn’t available for comment in the immediate aftermath of the verdict but could launch an appeal.

Sobhi’s debut in the Premier League came in August 2016 when he came off the bench for the final two minutes of Stoke’s 4-1 defeat against Manchester City.

The talented player replaced Marko Arnautovic on that day and came up against the likes of John Stones, Raheem Sterling and David Silva.

He was a squad player during his time at the Bet365 Stadium but started six consecutive league matches between February and April 2017, contributing an assist against Crystal Palace in the opening game of that run.

The attacker then found the back of the net in back-to-back league matches against West Brom and Huddersfield in December 2017.

After completing a move to Huddersfield, Sobhi suffered a knee injury that ruled him out of action for two months. He played just 75 minutes of Premier League football for the Terriers before returning to Ahly SC on loan at the start of 2019. He ultimately departed the Accu Stadium on a permanent basis 20 months later.

Sobhi has represented Egypt 37 times and played in all three of their group matches at the 2018 World Cup. He also featured for his country at the 2020 Olympic Games. The player’s most recent appearance for Egypt came at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2022, when he came on as a substitute during their semi-final victory over Cameroon.

The player helped Pyramids win the CAF Champions League last season but is currently facing a four-year suspension from football after the Court of Arbitration for Sport confirmed violations of anti-doping rules in November.