Egypt’s Court of Cassation has upheld the sentences issued against Mortada Mansour, the president of the Zamalek football club, for insulting and defaming Mahmoud El-Khatib, the president of the Al Ahly club.

The court sentenced Mortada Mansour to one month in prison, effective immediately, and one year in prison, suspended, for the charges, while rejecting his appeals against the verdicts.

In addition, the court also dismissed Mansour’s plea of conflicting jurisdiction, in which he claimed that two different courts had issued contradictory verdicts regarding the same incident.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office had previously recommended that the court reject Mansour’s appeals, in its non-binding advisory opinion, against the verdicts for the charges of insulting and defaming El-Khatib. Mansour attended the Court of Cassation, the headquarters of the highest court in Egypt, and surrendered himself to serve the one-month prison sentence before considering his appeals.

The court also heard Mansour’s plea of conflicting jurisdiction in the first case. In August 2022, the Economic Misdemeanor Court of Appeal, headed by Judge Adham Fahim, amended the verdict against Mansour, reducing his prison sentence from one year to one month, for the charges of insulting and defaming El-Khatib, as well as damaging his family’s reputation through social media, in case No. 83 of 2022 Economic Misdemeanors.

The first-instance Economic Misdemeanor Court had previously sentenced Mansour to one year in prison, a fine of EGP 10,000, and a temporary civil compensation of EGP 10,000, with a bail of EGP 10,000 to suspend the execution of the verdict. However, Mansour appealed the verdict after paying the bail amount.

In the second case, the Economic Misdemeanor Court of Appeal, headed by Judge Badr El-Sabbaky, accepted Mansour’s appeal against his one-year prison sentence, fine, and compensation for the charges of insulting and defaming El-Khatib. The court ordered the suspension of the prison sentence but upheld the fine of EGP 10,000 and the temporary civil compensation of EGP 10,000.

The suspension of the prison sentence was issued because the Court of Cassation considered the prison term for Mansour to be sufficient, given his previous imprisonment for the same charges. Mansour had been previously sentenced to three years for the same charges, but the Court of Cassation had reduced the sentence to one year.

Mansour’s case has attracted significant media attention and sparked controversy in Egypt’s football community. Some supporters have praised him for his aggressive approach, while others have criticized him for his behavior and conduct toward his rivals.