Oliver Glasner, the manager of Crystal Palace Football Club, has been convicted of a driving offence under the Single Justice Procedure. According to court records, Glasner was caught driving at 29mph in a 20mph zone in Bermondsey. The incident occurred as Glasner drove his BMW along the Old Kent Road in Bermondsey last July, specifically through traffic lights opposite Tesco at just before 7:30am on July 15 last year.
A magistrate, sitting in private in the Single Justice Procedure, imposed a six-month disqualification on Glasner on Tuesday last week. The football manager must also pay a £660 fine, together with £130 costs and a £264 victim surcharge. The speeding prosecution was brought by the Metropolitan Police, with the force telling the court that Glasner initially tried to pay a fine to settle the matter.
It is unknown how the Metropolitan Police responded to Glasner's initial attempt to pay a fine to settle the matter. Court records reveal Glasner already had past driving offences on his record, putting him in line for an automatic ban. The specific past driving offences Glasner had on his record have not been disclosed.
The Austrian wrote to Willesden Magistrates' Court to plead guilty to speeding at 29mph on a stretch of the road which has a 20mph limit. He submitted a handwritten note vowing not to break the law again, as he chose not to try to convince magistrates to spare him a disqualification. ' What steps Glasner has taken to ensure he does not break the law again remain unclear.
This conviction makes Glasner the latest high-profile figure to be caught speeding on London's roads. In May, Glasner had guided Crystal Palace to FA Cup glory in his first full season with the club. Two months later – and three days before Glasner's speeding offence – Palace suffered a blow as their European place earned through the cup win was downgraded from the Europa League to the Europa Conference League.
Glasner's side is due to face struggling Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday, in a key match in the Premier League relegation battle. How Glasner's six-month driving ban will affect his professional duties as Crystal Palace manager is not specified. The exact outcome or status of the prosecution brought by the Metropolitan Police beyond the court's ruling has not been detailed.