Mohamed Salah misses Cairo court hearing over disputed legal fees

Mohamed Salah did not attend a hearing at the New Cairo Court of First Instance on Sunday, where he had been ordered to appear in person to take a decisive legal oath in a dispute over alleged legal and administrative fees.

The Egypt international and Trabzonspor player is facing a lawsuit brought by lawyer Amr Faragallah, who is seeking payment for legal work, administrative procedures and consultancy services, according to Cairo 24.

The hearing had been scheduled specifically for Salah to attend and give the oath after Faragallah asked the court to direct it to the player. The procedure was intended to help determine whether the lawyer is entitled to the fees he is claiming.

Under the terms set by the court, Salah was required to deny that Faragallah had carried out the legal and administrative work at the centre of the dispute. He was also expected to deny that he owed the lawyer any money or fees connected with those services.

Faragallah’s claim seeks an order requiring Salah to pay the alleged outstanding sums. The lawyer is also asking for compensation for material and moral damage that he says he suffered as a result of the dispute.

The court papers include a request for compensation worth 255,000 Egyptian pounds. Faragallah has additionally asked for Salah to be responsible for the court costs and legal fees.

The lawyer based his case on a general power of attorney relating to legal matters, which Salah issued in his favour on 20 July 2012. Faragallah maintains that the document remained valid until he stepped down from representing the player in August 2025.

The court had set out the wording of the decisive oath that Salah was expected to take. It required him to reject the claim that Faragallah had undertaken the work described in the lawsuit and to deny that any financial liability or professional fees were owed as a result.

The court also stated that if the player failed to attend to take the oath, or refused to do so without an acceptable explanation, he could legally be considered to have “abstained from the oath”.

That designation is part of the court’s legal assessment of the proceedings and does not itself settle every aspect of the dispute. The court postponed a decision on expenses and legal fees until a final judgment is issued in the case.

Salah, a former Liverpool striker according to the report, was therefore absent from the session that had been fixed for his personal appearance. The dispute remains focused on whether the lawyer carried out the services claimed and whether those services created an obligation for the player to pay the sums requested.

Faragallah’s lawsuit continues to seek both the alleged fees and the additional compensation outlined in the court papers, while the final decision on costs and lawyers’ fees will be made only after the case reaches a final judgment.