Overview
- Police stopped Volpato twice on the same stretch of road during the night between Thursday and Friday after detecting repeated speeding, with officers recording 109 km/h in a 60 km/h zone during the second stop.
- A roadside oral drug screen at the second stop returned a preliminary positive for cocaine and police took a second sample for laboratory confirmatory testing, which has not yet reported results.
- New South Wales Police suspended Volpato’s international driving permit for six months as the investigation continues and the laboratory analysis is completed.
- Volpato, 22, who plays for Sassuolo and represented Australia at the 2026 World Cup, has denied using cocaine through a former coach who said the player was in shock at the accusation.
- If the lab confirms the result, the case could trigger separate outcomes in criminal law, traffic enforcement and football disciplinary systems, and media and club statements are still pending.