Egyptian Footballer Faces Hefty Fine and Jail Time for On-Field Assault of Moroccan Player

At the hearing last Monday in Cairo, Mohamed Chibi’s lawyer was intransigent. He demanded a three-year prison sentence for Hussein El Shahat, as well as a record fine for the damages his client suffered from the Egyptian Al Ahly player, who physically and verbally assaulted him on the field during a match between their teams in the Egyptian championship. What the Moroccan international had suffered amounted to assault, punishable by criminal and sports law, based on clear legal texts, the lawyer stressed in his pleading. But El Shahat’s lawyer opposed him with the article of the law appearing in the draft law on the practice of the Egyptian Football Federation, which prohibits any player from resorting to civil justice for an incident that occurred during matches of the Egyptian championship. The judge then decided to postpone the trial to May 30. Certain witnesses will be heard at the next hearing.

At the end of a match between Pyramids FC and Al Ahly in July 2023, Mohamed Chibi told Al Botola how the Al Ahly player El-Shahat not only physically attacked him, but also threatened to break his leg. "I was the victim of insults and offensive remarks towards my mother and father during the Super Cup match in the United Arab Emirates, as well as during today’s match, where I suffered provocations and blows during the two matches," he also recounted in a post on his Instagram account. "Before today’s incident and before the slap, there had been threats to break my foot, where I was told: ’If you had started the match, I would have broken your leg.’ This threat jeopardizes my future in Egyptian football. I could have easily reacted the same way, or even more, but respect for the internal rules of the club and my superiors at the Pyramids FC club pushed me to avoid any reaction at that time," explained the Moroccan player.

Following the incident, the Egyptian Football Federation sanctioned Hussein Al Shahat: a two-match suspension and a fine of 20,000 Egyptian pounds. Dissatisfied, Chibi filed a complaint against the Al Ahly player. Pending the end of the ongoing trial, the Moroccan international would be subjected to daily harassment and pressure, like his recent expulsion from a restaurant whose owner is a fervent supporter of Al Ahly, according to Egyptian media reports.