Justice Prevails for Mohamed Chibi in Dispute with Egyptian Football Association
In a remarkable turn of events, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has intervened to uphold justice and protect the rights of Moroccan footballer Mohamed Chibi in his ongoing conflict with the Egyptian Football Association. This pivotal ruling has garnered significant attention, shedding light on the intricate legal battle that unfolded.
The saga began when the Egyptian Football Association imposed a six-match suspension and a substantial fine of 100,000 Egyptian pounds on Chibi, a player for Pyramids FC. The disciplinary measures were enforced under the pretext that Chibi had violated regulations by taking his case against Al Ahly's Hussein El Shahat to civil courts.
Hani Bakri, Chibi's legal counsel, issued an official statement applauding the CAS's intervention, which echoed the previous verdicts of Egyptian courts. Bakri vehemently refuted allegations from Egyptian Football Association officials that the CAS had merely suspended the execution of the sanction pending the association's appeals commission ruling. Such claims, he asserted, were utterly unfounded.
Bakri clarified that the CAS had decided to suspend the execution of the sanction until a final decision on the case was rendered, not contingent upon the Egyptian Football Association's appeals commission ruling. Any assertion to the contrary would contravene the regulations and rules governing the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Emphasizing the gravity of the situation, Chibi's legal representative underscored that the blatant legal errors and egregious nature of the contested judgment compelled the CAS to intervene swiftly to uphold Chibi's rights and ensure fairness.
In a closed-door session, the vice-president of the CAS Appeals Division granted Mohamed Chibi's request for provisional measures, submitted on June 12, 2024, against the Egyptian Football Association. The CAS further stipulated that the costs arising from this order would be determined in the final arbitration decision or any other subsequent final judgment.
The Egyptian Football Association's initial disciplinary action against Mohamed Chibi stemmed from an altercation between Chibi and Hussein El Shahat during a match last year, which Pyramids won 3-0. Subsequently, the Nasr City Court of First Instance in East Cairo sentenced El Shahat to a suspended one-year prison term for assaulting and insulting Chibi during the game. The court also barred El Shahat from participating in any sporting activities and imposed a fine of 100,000 Egyptian pounds as civil damages for his aggression towards Chibi.
Chibi had filed a lawsuit against El Shahat for insult and defamation following the incident where El Shahat had slapped him after the match between the two teams on July 23, 2023.
As the legal battle continues to unfold, the CAS's decisive intervention has garnered widespread acclaim for upholding the principles of fairness and justice in the realm of sports. The ruling serves as a pivotal milestone in Chibi's quest for vindication and underscores the commitment to ensuring that due process prevails, even in the face of institutional resistance.