Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner banned from driving after 20mph speeding rap
By Tristan Kirk, Press Association Courts Editor
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has been banned from driving for the next six months after breaking one of London’s 20mph zones.
The FA Cup-winning boss, 51, was caught by a speed camera as he drove his BMW along the Old Kent Road in Bermondsey last July.
Court records reveal Glasner already had past driving offences on his record, putting him in line for an automatic ban.
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.
And 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.
“I fully accept responsibility for my actions and understand the seriousness of this matter”, he said.
“I have taken steps to ensure it will not happen again.
“Due to the nature of my role, I will ensure I take the steps to address the issue.”
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 (€758) fine, together with £130 (€149) costs and a £264 (€303) victim surcharge.
The incident happened as Glasner drove through traffic lights opposite Tesco on the Old Kent Road at just before 7.30am on July 15th last year.
In May, Glasner had guided Crystal Palace to FA Cup glory in his first full season with the club.
But 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.
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.
“Payment was made and licence details provided for electronic endorsement, however, the additional penalty points would have resulted in the total current points on the licence being 12 or more”, set out case worker Emily Delroy, in a statement.
“A refund has been requested and the matter was referred to the prosecution team for a single justice notice to be issued.”
Glasner pleaded guilty in writing on January 27th, and accepted that a ban would be imposed without an open court hearing in a second letter to the court on February 16th.
Details of the case have now been revealed after the Press Association was given access to court documents this week.
Glasner was among 1,089 motorists to be prosecuted last week for breaking a 20mph speed limit, with magistrates handing out fines totalling more than £157,000 (€180,000) and 27 driving bans.
