Cheibi and El Shahat affair. The Moroccan Lawyers Club accuses the Egyptian Union of “bias”.
Following the decision of the Egyptian Football Union to impose arbitrary sanctions on the Moroccan player Mohamed Cheibi, player of the Egyptian team Pyramids, after he resorted to ordinary justice following the attack he suffered at the hands of Al-Ahly player, Hussein El Shahat, the Moroccan Lawyers Club expressed its indignation and strong condemnation of these decisions, contrary to fundamental legal rights.
In this context, the Lawyers’ Club considered that the light and biased sanctions imposed on Hussein El Shahat are the main reason which pushed Mohamed Cheibi to turn to ordinary justice, indicating that the dispute between El Shahat and Cheibi is not not a purely sporting dispute, but constitutes an offense in accordance with the provisions of the Egyptian penal code. Consequently, this engages his criminal liability, apart from the regulations of the Football Union and disciplinary sanctions. This attack must be treated as an offense requiring recourse to the criminal justice system to ensure justice.
The club insisted that player Mohamed Cheibi’s right to resort to ordinary justice is based on Articles 83 to 95 of the Egyptian Sports Law No. 71 of 2017, adding that these articles of the Egyptian Sports Law clearly stipulate the player’s right to trial. This is manifested by the freedom of recourse to justice when it comes to a misdemeanor or a crime.
He added that the Egyptian Football Union has shown obvious bias in favor of the player Hussein El Shahat, who has not yet publicly apologized, which accentuates the imbalance and injustice in the application of sanctions.
The Lawyers’ Club considered that the Egyptian Football Union committed a serious error and misjudgment in the interpretation of these regulations by confiscating the player’s right to resort to ordinary justice, which is a constitutional and legal right not may be restricted by sporting regulations. He stressed that Article 38 of the Egyptian disciplinary regulations cannot prevail over the constitution and international conventions which recognize the right of individuals to a trial.
As a result, the club asked the Egyptian Football Union to review these decisions and comply with international and constitutional laws guaranteeing the right to a trial, announcing that it would contact all international sporting bodies to intervene in order to protect the players’ rights and to ensure that they are not victims of discrimination or injustice.
The Moroccan Lawyers Club reaffirmed its full support for player Mohamed Cheibi and all players who seek to defend their rights through legitimate legal means, calling for respect for the rule of law and human rights in all sporting activities.
