Egyptian billionaire defends former soccer star Aboutrika after court ruling places him on terror list

Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris defended retired soccer star Mohamed Aboutrika after a court put the latter on a terror list.

It is “impossible” for Aboutrika to be a terrorist, the Coptic Orthodox telecommunications tycoon said when he was asked by another Twitter user, on the social networking website, whether the popular player once refused to take one million Egyptian pounds (around $53,213) from him in an incident that dates back to 2006.

According to the privately-owned Egyptian daily newspaper Al-Watan, Sawiris wanted to give the sum to Aboutrika as a present after the Egyptian national team won the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations.

Sawiris affirmed the incident in a tweet on 20 January in response to a question on Twitter. “This happened. And he donated it [the money] to charity organisations. He is a person with noble morals and a brilliant player. We may disagree with him but it is impossible for him to be a terrorist.”

Last week, the Cairo Criminal Court placed the former prominent soccer player on a terrorism and no-fly list and ordered the freezing of his assets. A previous freeze was ordered on Aboutrika’s assets back in 2015 over accusations that he might be financing the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood group.

A number of activists, politicians, public figures and youth were also placed on the terror list by virtue of last week’s court ruling.

Since then-defence minister Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, who is now the country’s president, led a military ouster of Mohamed Morsi as president in July 2013, the Egyptian authorities have launched an unprecedented crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood group’s leaders and members, as well as those suspected of even sympathizing with the group.

The Egyptian authorities hold the group responsible for a wave of militant attacks that have swept the Sinai Peninsula and occasionally crept into other provinces and the capital Cairo. The Brotherhood strongly denies the accusations.

In addition to being a businessman with a $3.2 billion net worth, according to Forbes Magazine’s top rich lists, Sawiris is also the founder of the Free Egyptians Party, which identifies itself as a “civic” party. The party openly opposed Mohamed Morsi during his one year in power. Sawiris himself expressed support for Sisi ahead of the 2014 presidential election that brought him to the presidency.