Egyptian television bans sports commentator

Cairo: Egyptian television has barred a prominent sports commentator from appearing on all shows of the official TV channels for openly criticising the Minister of the Interior, sources said on Wednesday.

Minister of Information Anas Al Fekki has ordered that Ala'a Sadeq, a famed sports commentator, be stopped from presenting his two shows on Egyptian television after he assailed Minister of the Interior Habib Al Adli for police's alleged failure to stop Tunisian fans from attacking security guards following a match between Egypt's Al Ahly and Esperance of Tunisia on Sunday, they added.

Sadeq, who writes in the semi-official newspaper Al Akhbar, demanded Al Adli to make an official apology to a security guard injured during the rioting at Cairo Stadium.

Non-compliant

"Ala'a Sadeq has been warned more than once not to attack others for no good reasons," said Osama Al Shaikh, the chairman of the governmental Radio and TV Union. "But he has not observed instructions.

He should comply with the professional rules of the state television," he added. The ban on Sadeq came one day after Ebrahim Eisa, the dissident chief editor of the independent newspaper Al Destour, was sacked allegedly under political pressure for his outspoken criticism of President Hosni Mubarak's rule. Late last month, the governmental Media City took the Saudi pay-TV Orbit off air for, according to officials, defaulting on paying dues.

Critics of the government, however, claim that Orbit was closed for its vociferous criticism of Mubarak's government ahead of crucial parliamentary and presidential elections in the country.