Socceroos star fined for driving with drugs in system

September 9, 2026 — 11:04am

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Socceroos star Cristian Volpato has had a second sample test positive for cocaine after he and his supporters for weeks insisted a roadside drug test had returned a false positive result.

Volpato, one of the Socceroos’ breakout stars at this year’s World Cup, denied taking cocaine after testing positive when he was stopped by police for speeding on Anzac Bridge in late July.

But this masthead can reveal that a secondary sample of Volpato’s oral fluid taken for analysis last week returned a positive result for cocaine. NSW Police said in a statement that Volpato was issued a traffic infringement notice and fined $722.

The 22-year-old has already lost his international driver’s licence for six months after being caught driving a BMW at almost 50km/h over the speed limit – at the same location where he had already been fined for speeding two hours earlier – on the eve of the Italian Serie A season.

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Volpato returned to Italy to train with Sassuolo the day after the incident and has scored twice in the team’s first five matches.

However, Volpato came off in the 38th minute of Sassuolo’s 2-2 draw with Bologna at the weekend with a hamstring injury, which is set to rule him out of Australia’s friendlies against Brazil in Queensland later this month. It means coach Tony Popovic and Football Australia will be absolved of any immediate decisions over whether to select him for the national team.

Volpato’s lawyer Paul McGirr said the 22-year-old was considering appealing the fine.

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“Our client has never touched cocaine and strenuously denies consuming it ever,” he said.

“Immediately after the incident, he attended a medical facility and partook in a voluntary urinalysis that proved he had no traces of cocaine or any other drug or alcohol in his system.”

An appeal would explore what McGirr claimed were issues of contamination and the methods used to take the roadside sample.

“We want to look at how it was done,” he said.

Volpato initially told family and friends that he believed his drink was spiked while celebrating a friend’s birthday in the Sydney CBD on July 21.

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In a statement issued days after Volpato’s initial positive result, Sassuolo said the midfielder had taken further urine and blood tests upon his return to the club, which had returned negative results. Cocaine can pass through the system and be undetectable in urine and blood tests within a few days. It is unclear when the club tested Volpato.

Football Australia said it had been made aware of a reported secondary oral test result.

“We are currently seeking independent verification,” it said in a statement.

Speaking on Tuesday, before the news of Volpato’s secondary sample emerged, Popovic said he could not comment on whether he had breached team standards.

“These young men, things happen and you can get caught for something that we have to look into,” he said. “There is a process that’s playing out at the moment about that, and we need to follow that process.”

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More:

Australian soccer

Socceroos

Drugs in sport

Drugs

Police

Crime

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Vince Rugari is a sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.

Riley Walter is a crime reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.

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