Ministry Substantiates Bias Against Coptic Boy at Alexandria Football Trials, Refers Coach to Prosecutors

Egypt's Ministry of Youth and Sports has confirmed that a boy was excluded from youth trials at Al-Ittihad Alexandria because of his name, and referred the case to the Public Prosecution.

The player is Makary Younan, Masrawy reported on 22 July. A fact-finding panel formed by the Alexandria Youth and Sports Directorate heard several witnesses and established that the coach responsible had committed a violation.

The ministry ordered the club to open its own investigation and impose a penalty within 48 hours, and to report the outcome back. The maximum sanction, Masrawy reported, is suspension and a permanent ban from working in any sports or youth body. The ministry said talent testing must be run on principles of integrity and fairness, that children have an inalienable right to equal opportunity in sport, and that comparable cases would go to prosecutors where the evidence points to a criminal offence.

The complaint came from the boy's mother, Mervat Younan, who said a coach turned her son away because his name identified him as Christian rather than on his ability, according to Egyptian Streets.

The National Council for Human Rights said it rejects "all forms of discrimination, including religious discrimination" and called the practice a flagrant violation of constitutional provisions, Al-Shorouk reported on 23 July. The council praised the ministry for referring the coach to investigation and the file to the Public Prosecutor, and urged accountability for everyone involved.

Egyptian Streets noted that Article 53 of the constitution guarantees equality and bars discrimination on grounds of religion or belief, and that Christians make up roughly a tenth of Egypt's population.