Cristian Volpato, a 22-year-old Australia midfielder, was stopped by New South Wales police twice on the same evening following separate speeding incidents in Sydney. The first stop occurred at 11:05pm local time on Thursday when officers detected the player operating a BMW Coupe at 86-94km/h in a 60km/h zone on the Anzac Bridge. A roadside breath test administered at that time produced a negative result.
Approximately two hours later, Volpato was stopped again for driving at 109km/h in another 60km/h zone. During this second encounter, he allegedly returned a positive result for cocaine following an oral fluid test. Police issued an infringement notice for the speeding violation and suspended his international driver’s licence for six months, rendering him unable to legally drive in New South Wales. Authorities indicated that inquiries would continue and that a secondary oral fluid sample was collected for additional analysis.
Volpato, who switched international representation from Italy to Australia in May, was part of the Socceroos squad for the World Cup, appearing in three of the team’s four matches as they advanced to the round of 32 before being eliminated by Egypt on penalties. The midfielder has been employed by Serie A club Sassuolo since 2023, accumulating 24 league appearances for the squad during their most recent season when they finished 11th.
Football Australia stated it had maintained contact with the player and would continue monitoring developments while providing support. Professional Footballers Australia, the players’ union, announced awareness of the matter and committed to ensuring Volpato receives appropriate assistance throughout the process.
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