Sports presenter Karim Hassan Shehata has been banned from appearing in the media for one month following an official decision by Egypt’s Supreme Council for Media Regulation over an episode of his show “Kora Kol Youm” on Al Hayah TV.

The decision relates to an episode broadcast on August 29 that sparked controversy over comments concerning a refereeing incident linked to the Al Ahly-ZED match.

What began as a sports debate on television later became a case reviewed by the Supreme Council for Media Regulation.

The council, chaired by Khaled Abdelaziz, approved a recommendation from its Complaints Committee, headed by council deputy Essam El Amir, to prevent Shehata from appearing on all media outlets covered by Egypt’s Press and Media Regulation Law No. 180 of 2018 for one month.

The decision therefore applies to the media outlets covered by the law and is not limited to Al Hayah TV or the “Kora Kol Youm” program.

Official One-Month Ban

According to the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, the decision was based on a report prepared by its monitoring department, as well as the outcome of a hearing held by the Complaints Committee in the presence of Al Hayah TV’s legal representative.

The council said the one-month period is calculated from the date of the episode in question, which was broadcast on August 29.

The council’s published statement did not provide detailed wording of the specific comments considered to be in violation. Instead, it referred to the monitoring report and the hearing held before the decision was approved.

Media reports, however, linked the controversy to comments made during the episode about an alleged refereeing incident connected to the Al Ahly-ZED match.

The issue became more controversial after a reported account of a conversation involving match officials began circulating.

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Later reports said that a review of the full Video Assistant Referee room recordings did not confirm the alleged conversation.

The matter was eventually reviewed by the Supreme Council for Media Regulation before the one-month ban was announced.

Reaction to the Decision

The ruling also generated reactions from within the sports media.

Presenter Mohamed Fares, host of “Fi Dahr Al Ahly,” welcomed the decision and argued that it sends a clear message about the need to verify information before presenting it to viewers as established fact.

Fares said the issue, in his view, went beyond an ordinary disagreement over football opinions because presenting an unverified conversation or incident on air could lead to the spread of claims that are difficult to confirm later.

He also argued that failing to address such cases could encourage further claims about referees, players or coaching staff without clear supporting evidence.

According to Fares, the council’s decision should serve as a warning to presenters, journalists and television guests about the importance of separating confirmed information from personal opinion, particularly in highly sensitive football discussions.

He added that his position was more about defending accurate information than defending Al Ahly itself, stressing the importance of challenging claims that are not backed by clear evidence.

The decision has now placed Karim Hassan Shehata’s case firmly in the spotlight, especially because the ban is not limited to his television program but applies to his media appearances across outlets covered by the law for the duration of the penalty.

The case has also renewed debate over the responsibility of sports programs to verify sensitive claims before broadcasting them, particularly when those claims involve referees, match integrity or major football clubs.