Egyptian Legend Aboutrika Facing Jail over Tax Evasion

Egyptian football legend Mohamed Aboutrika could serve up to 12 months in jail over tax evasion.

A local court in Cairo found the star-turned-football pundit guilty of evading the Egyptian taxman.

The court ruled that the four-time African player of the year evaded tax on his earnings of up to US$40,000 for a two-year advertisement period he made for a drink company and a telecom firm.

One-time on the North African country’s list of most wanted individuals, the verdict was issued Monday morning in absentia.

The retired playmaker must pay US$1,115 to have the jail term suspended.

This is not the first time the former Al Ahly now retired player is making the headlines for the wrong reasons.

Now 40, Mohamed, dubbed The Magician by fans in football and once courted by Barcelona, was declared a wanted terrorist after openly showing support to Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood –a party suspected of funding terrorist groups.

Owing to this, his assets were frozen by the Cairo leadership pending investigations into his dealings, a case that was later dropped.

Aboutrika relocated to Qatar after drawing the curtain on his stellar career in 2013.