A CAIRO court on Saturday closed down three sports programmes broadcast by famous TV presenter Ahmed Shobeir on the private satelliteTV El-Hayat.
Mortada Mansour, a former Egyptian MP and the ex-chairman of Zamalek club, had filed a suit against the channel in accordance with Law 8/1997, on the grounds that Shobeir apparently insulted Mansour and criticised him in a sports programme presented by Shobeir on the channel.
The Administrative Court, an appeals court for cases involving the State, ordered the suspension of the three sports programmes presented by Shobeir, a former Ahly’s and Egypt’s goalkeeper, although it threw out another case filed by Mansour against the channel.
The ruling capped a legal battle that has caused controversy in the sports field, particularly between Mansour and Shobeir, a member of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) who represents his city, Tanta, in the Parliament.
