The case of the Amsterdam-born striker is truly a farcical case involving organized crime, football, international politics and diplomacy. It is an unprecedented situation in the history of sports, the details of which approach incredible.
The striker who decided to exile himself in Moscow
Dutch football player Quincy Promes was sentenced to 18 months in prison on June 19, 2023, for stabbing his cousin at a party in 2020. A few weeks ago, on May 30, 2023, the Dutch justice system also announced its decision to bring Promes to court. also regarding another situation: international drug trafficking.
According to the Amsterdam prosecutor’s office, the attacker, who also played for Sevilla and Ajax, played fifty games for the Oranje national team and scored seven goals, tried to enter Europe through the port with a criminal organization in January 2020. of Antwerp, more than a ton of cocainefor the value tens of millions of euros.
Quincy Promes case
But despite the legal situation he finds himself in, the boy born in Amsterdam on January 4, 1992 is not only in prison, but also continues his career as an actor, albeit with some success. The motivation is simple: Promes plays in RussiaRussia, who plays for Spartak Moscow, does not have an extradition agreement with the Netherlands due to the turmoil in relations between the EU and the Kremlin after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Promes arrived in Moscow in February 2021: almost three years ago, the most successful club in the history of Russian football wrote a check for eight and a half million euros to bring the Dutch forward back into its ranks. In fact, Quincy Promes played for Spartak for four and a half seasons between 2014 and 2018, and after scoring 66 goals in 135 matches, he was transferred to Sevilla for over 20 million Euros. Spartak Moscow’s most profitable transfer ever.
On the other hand, Promes has been considered for a long time one of the most promising actors of his generation not only at the national level but also at the continental level. For example, he is remembered for his magnificent performance in the Netherlands’ 3-1 victory against England in the 2019 Nations League; It was a competition that made him stand out so much that he came close to signing for Manchester United that summer.
The Promes case is important because, in addition to the uniqueness of the situation, a man sentenced to 18 months in prison (maybe 4 years after the final appeal sentence) continued to play freely in another country. Links between football and organized crime It has become increasingly common throughout Europe in recent years.
Two cases involving Promes
As previously explained, there are two charges against Promes. First, there is the accusation that he stabbed his cousin after an argument about jewelry during a family party in the town of Abcoude. According to Dutch newspaper Het Parool, Promes The tendon in his leg was severed by a knife blow The death of the relative caused very serious injuries, which forced the child to undergo long-term rehabilitation treatment.
Promes, who always claimed that he was innocent, told his cousin about the stab wound in a phone call with his father after the incident. This speech was, in theory, a very clear admission of guilt. But it could not be used during the processGiven that it was collected during an intervention in connection with another investigation in which Promes was involved: a drug trafficking investigation.
Dutch police tapped Promes’ phone for more than a year after suspecting Promes was involved in an incident in 2018. cartel linked to cocaine trafficking in the Netherlands. From rumors about the investigation published in the Dutch media, it appears that Promes communicates with other traders through phone platforms that can process encrypted messages.
Thanks to these interventions, the prosecutor would catch Promes while confirming to two other members of the gang that two cocaine shipments weighing 700 kilos each would arrive at the port of Antwerp in January 2021. Promes complained in the communications section that his investment had suddenly lost 50% of its value due to the loss of one of the two shares. Finally, researchers seem to have confirmed this Promes also had a gun in his hand.
Despite all this, Promes continues to walk on football fields today as if nothing had happened. In its only note on the case published in June 2023, Spartak Moscow announced that no penalty could be considered final until the appeal. Promes lives in Moscow Together with his wife, three children, mother and brother, he seems to be buying time by taking advantage of the geopolitical situation that pits Russia and Europe against each other. Already in this season he has scored eight goals in twenty matches; the last one on December 9, against Krylya Sovetov (who will return to action in March 2024) in the last match of the Russian Premier League before the winter break.
