Cristian Volpato, one of Australia's breakout stars of the World Cup, has allegedly tested positive for cocaine after being stopped by police while driving at almost twice the speed limit.
The 22-year-old Sassuolo attacking midfielder and winger was stopped on Anzac Bridge in Sydney at around 1.10am on Friday and asked to take a roadside drug test, which allegedly returned a positive result for cocaine. New South Wales police confirmed they will continue investigating after taking a secondary sample of oral fluid for further analysis.
Speeding and licence suspended
Volpato was reportedly issued an infringement notice for speeding after being caught driving a BMW Coupe at 109km/h (roughly 68mph) in a 60km/h (approximately 37mph) zone. His international driver's licence was suspended for six months, meaning he cannot drive in New South Wales. He has not been charged with a criminal offence.
Police allege the former Roma player was also stopped two hours earlier on Anzac Bridge, west of Sydney's central business district, and issued an infringement notice after allegedly driving more than 20km/h (around 20mph) over the speed limit. He was subjected to a roadside alcohol breath test following that incident, at around 11.05pm on Thursday, which returned a negative result.
Background and career
Volpato was born in Australia to Italian-descent parents, with Italian-born grandparents on both sides. He played for Sydney United, Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers at academy level before moving to Italy to join Roma's youth set-up. He made 14 senior appearances for Roma, scoring twice, before a £6.4m move to Sassuolo, where he has seven goals in 72 games. Volpato represented Italy at under-19 and under-20 level before switching his international allegiance to Australia on the eve of the World Cup.
