“A big loss for Spartak”: Promes did not pass border control in the UAE and was unable to fly to Russia after training camp

Spartak Moscow football player Quincy Promes was unable to fly from Dubai to St. Petersburg.

According to media reports, he was detained at the border control at Al Maktoum airport and taken to the police station.

The reasons for the incident are unknown.

The club's security staff remained with the player, and the rest of the team flew to Russia.

It is possible that the incident is connected with two criminal cases in which the forward is a defendant in his homeland.

However, the Dutch prosecutor's office said that they did not know about the footballer's detention until publications appeared in the media.

According to the organization's press secretary, Tusha Essed, the incident is not related to criminal cases. 

“We have heard reports about this, but on behalf of the Dutch prosecutor’s office we cannot confirm these reports,” said Evert Boerstra, a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office in Amsterdam.

Charges and sentences

Promes was sentenced to prison in absentia in two criminal cases in the Netherlands.

In 2019, at a family party, Quincy got into an argument with his cousin, after which, according to the victim, he attacked him with a knife and hit him in the knee.

This story became known only a few months later, when the football player’s cousin contacted law enforcement agencies.

It was rumored that in this way he was seeking monetary compensation from a star relative, but later the prosecutor's office brought charges of attempted murder against Promes.

The case went to court, and in June 2023, the red-and-white striker was sentenced to one and a half years in prison.

In addition, he was ordered to pay his cousin €7 thousand. The player’s lawyer filed an appeal against this verdict, which has not yet been considered.

During these proceedings, it became known that Quincy's phone had long been under police wiretapping as part of another investigation - about drug smuggling.

Quincey was still playing for Sevilla back then.

Subsequently, the player, who managed to move to Spartak, was accused of involvement in the trafficking of two shipments of prohibited substances with a total weight of 1.37 tons and an approximate value of $82 million. The cargo, hidden among bags of sea salt, was intercepted in January 2020 in Antwerp, Belgium.

The investigation lasted about four years, and in mid-February, an Amsterdam court sentenced the Spartak leader to six years in prison.

At this time, Promes was already in the UAE at the training camp with the team.

On February 29, the court received an appeal against this verdict.

The date of new hearings has not yet been determined, RIA Novosti reported.

Reaction to the alleged detention

According to media reports, Spartak called the situation with Promes “difficult” and refrained from further comments.

Meanwhile, according to lawyers, the extradition of Promes to the Netherlands is quite possible, even despite the fact that the football player has a UAE resident visa - there is a corresponding agreement between the countries.

It is unknown what actions the club is taking to clarify the circumstances.

Official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova noted that the red and white did not contact the department for help.

“Representatives of Spartak have not yet contacted either the Russian Embassy in Abu Dhabi or the Russian Consulate General in Dubai, where the alleged detention took place,” the Championship quoted Zakharova as saying.

Without official information about the reasons for the detention, it is difficult to imagine how the situation may develop further.

Lawyer Andrei Knyazev suggested that UAE law enforcement agencies received a request to extradite the football player after Promes arrived in Dubai with the team.

“Let's hope Quincy somehow gets out of this.

It is strange that there were no complaints against Promes on the territory of the country, but when he began to fly away from it, they arose.

As they say, the letter has arrived.

Now for Promes in this case everything is much worse than expected,” the specialist said.

His colleague Igor Bushmanov did not make hypotheses, but suggested waiting for an explanation from airport representatives about the reasons for not allowing him to board.

“I hope that Quincy’s freedom of movement will not be limited without legal grounds and that he will fly to Russia,” RIA Novosti quotes the lawyer as saying.

Meanwhile, on March 2, Spartak will have to play their first match in the RPL after the winter break.

The red-whites will play away against Zenit, and the loss of one of the team’s key players could have a significant impact on the outcome of the meeting.

So, according to Yegor Titov, it was the Dutch forward who should have become the main trump card of the capital team.

And if the situation is really as serious as everyone fears, then this will also affect the further performances of Guillermo Abascal’s squad. 

“We have to wait to see how this whole Quincy thing ends.

He is a very important player for Spartak, and if he is detained now, it will be a real loss.

The transfer window is closed, the team will not sign anyone.

Moreover, it is simply unrealistic to buy a player of Promes’ level now.

On the other hand, “Spartak” still has enough players for its roster, so it’s not all that bad,” Evgeny Bushmanov commented on the situation.

In turn, Vyacheslav Koloskov urged not to rush to conclusions and wait for official information.

“There is still a chance that he will play.

We don’t know the details, we don’t know how long he was detained - an hour, a day or a week.

Let's assume that he can still arrive.

But if he still doesn’t exist, it will be a big loss for Spartak, of course.

He will be missed,” RB Sport quotes the honorary president of the RFU.