Cristian Volpato Faces Drug Test Controversy After Positive Result

Cristian Volpato has returned a second positive test for cocaine after a roadside stop on Sydney’s Anzac Bridge in July, placing one of Australian football’s brightest young stars under an unwelcome spotlight.

The Sydney Morning Herald revealed the result on Wednesday, with Football Australia confirming it is seeking independent verification of the findings.

NSW Police, contacted by nine.com.au, outlined the sequence of events from the night of July 21.

“He was subjected to a roadside drug test which allegedly returned a positive result for cocaine,” a police statement said. “A secondary sample of oral fluid was taken for further analysis.

“Following inquiries, on Tuesday 1 September 2026, a 22-year-old man was issued a Traffic Infringement Notice for drive motor vehicle with illicit drug present in oral fluid etc with a $722 fine.”

Volpato’s legal team has already flagged a challenge.

“Our client has never touched cocaine and strenuously denies consuming it ever,” lawyer Paul McGirr told the Herald, adding that an appeal against the fine is under consideration.

The Herald reports Volpato has told people close to him he believes his drink may have been spiked on the night in question.

That incident capped a chaotic few hours for the 22-year-old. His international driver’s licence has already been suspended for six months after he was clocked driving almost 50km/h over the speed limit on the same night.

He was stopped twice in the same location while driving a BMW across Anzac Bridge, telling police he had been at a party in Sydney’s CBD.

The fallout did not delay his return to club football. The day after being charged, Volpato flew back to Italy to rejoin Serie A side Sassuolo.

On the pitch, he started the season sharply, scoring two goals in the club’s first five games. Then came another setback: a hamstring injury suffered over the weekend.

That blow is set to have immediate consequences for the national team. The injury means Socceroos coach Tony Popovic will likely rule him out of selection for this month’s high-profile clashes with Brazil in Queensland.

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

Volpato’s situation lands at a time when his reputation had been soaring. A breakout star in Australia’s World Cup campaign earlier this year, he turned his back on Italy to commit to the Socceroos and was quickly tagged as one of the country’s most gifted emerging players.

Now, with a traffic infringement, a positive drug test under dispute, and a hamstring injury to overcome, the next phase of his career will be defined not by hype, but by how he responds.