Cristian Volpato, the 22-year-old Sassuolo midfielder who represented Australia at the 2026 World Cup, was stopped twice by police in Sydney on the night of Thursday 23 July and allegedly returned a positive roadside drug test for cocaine. New South Wales police said in a statement that a man – widely identified by local media as Volpato – was first pulled over on the Anzac Bridge at about 11:05 p.m. after being recorded driving between 86 km/h and 94 km/h in a 60 km/h zone. A breath test for alcohol was negative and an infringement notice was issued. Approximately two hours later, officers stopped the same vehicle travelling at 109 km/h in the same 60 km/h zone. A roadside oral fluid test then produced a positive result for cocaine, police said, and a second sample was taken for laboratory confirmation. Volpato’s international driver’s licence was suspended for six months, withdrawing his driving privileges in New South Wales.

Volpato has denied using cocaine or any illicit substance. Tony Basha, a Sydney-based coach who trained the player before his move to Italy and remains a mentor, told the Sydney Morning Herald that Volpato was “adamant he didn’t touch it” and was shocked by the allegation. Basha added that the player had been celebrating a friend’s birthday in central Sydney and that such behaviour would be out of character. Neither Volpato’s club Sassuolo nor Football Australia has issued a public comment on the incident.

The preliminary test result does not constitute a criminal charge, and police have stated that investigations are continuing pending the laboratory analysis of the second oral fluid sample. Under Australian anti-doping regulations, athletes who test positive for a prohibited substance without a valid therapeutic use exemption can face bans of up to four years, though no sporting sanction has been announced. Volpato, who switched his international allegiance from Italy to Australia shortly before the World Cup, made three appearances at the tournament, where Australia were eliminated by Egypt in the round of 16.

Volpato was born and raised in Sydney and represented Italy at youth level before joining Roma and later Sassuolo. According to Italian media reports, he was expected to leave Sydney on Friday to begin pre-season training with the Serie A club, and had recently been linked with a possible transfer to Fiorentina. The laboratory confirmation of the roadside test is the next procedural step, and any further action by police or sporting authorities will depend on that result.