Former Premier League striker Michail Antonio has denied driving a Lamborghini that was allegedly speeding in Birmingham. The ex-West Ham star faces a potential driving ban after being found guilty in his absence at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday for failing to disclose the driver's identity to police in April last year.
The 36-year-old, who now plays for a club in the Qatar Stars League, was accused of not providing information about who was driving a Lamborghini Urus that was allegedly clocked speeding in Birmingham in March last year and in central London in November. However, a spokesman for Antonio told the Press Association that he was not behind the wheel during either incident, having sustained serious injuries in a crash in 2024.
Court Proceedings and Driving Ban
Birmingham Magistrates’ Court heard that Antonio already has six penalty points on his licence for an insurance-related offence. Under the "totting up" rules, he faces a driving ban when sentenced at the same court in June. A separate speeding charge related to the Lamborghini was dropped by prosecutors. The court was told the vehicle was recorded averaging 50mph in a 40mph zone on Leebank Middleway and Belgrave Middleway in Birmingham on March 1, 2025.
Additional Legal Challenges
Antonio also faces proceedings at Bexley Magistrates’ Court in July for a separate allegation of failing to notify police of the driver of the same Lamborghini in Pall Mall, central London. In a formal response, he has entered a not guilty plea, stating that the vehicle was "on hire at the time of contravention."
Antonio, who previously played for Reading, Nottingham Forest, Southampton, and Sheffield Wednesday, spent three weeks in hospital in December 2024 after crashing a Ferrari in Epping Forest, suffering a severely broken leg. His legal team is expected to argue that his injuries prevented him from driving at the time of the alleged offences.
