Hi °C | Lo °C
MICHAEL BALLACK’S excuse that he could not pay a speeding fine because he has recently retired from football has had limited success – but the football star has also been banned from driving for 18 months.
The former Chelsea and Germany star has been banned for driving for 18 months and fined €6,750 after he was clocked doing 131mph on a Spanish motorway last month.
The former Bayern Munich midfielder had claimed he could not afford to pay a speeding fine because he has received no income since retiring from football at the end of last season.
He was earning €150,000 at the height of his pulling power but his lawyer, Jesus Gallego Rol, requested that the €10,000 fine be cut to €1,000 because he has had no income to add to the vast wealth he accumulated during his career since hanging up his boots at Bayern Leverkusen.
“Just because he is a famous footballer doesn’t mean he has any money coming in,” Rol said last month.
The fine has been cut by the Spanish authorities – but Ballack has been hit with a significant driving ban
The 36-year-old, who announced his retirement a couple of weeks before the incident, was driving his Audi Q7 at almost twice the speed limit of 75mph, according to the ruling by a court in Caceres published today.
Ballack, who was also ordered to pay the costs of the trial, has five days to lodge an appeal.
