Veteran Colombian soccer star, Jhon Viafara, whose license was suspended for driving drunk, responded to the incident by telling reporters that he’s “not a taxi driver.”
“I’m calm because my profession is a soccer player not a taxi driver,” said Viafara, newspaper El Heraldo reported Friday.
The Junior Barranquilla midfielder, who played a stint in Europe with English sides Southampton and Portsmouth, was pulled over by police in Barranquilla on May 28 while driving under the influence of alcohol.
“It’s an error I committed, that is committed by 20,000 people daily. With this I realized that I am a really big person in the country, a figure, everyone is watching what Jhon Viafara does,” said the veteran.
On June 2, authorities suspended Viafara’s license for two years and handed him a fine of about $500. He must also complete 40 hours of speed awareness courses.
The cheeky soccer player didn’t show up to his sentencing, explaining that he had prior commitments in Bogota.
The 33-year-old former star of championship teams such as America de Cali and Once Caldas revelled in his rebirth into the Colombian spotlight.
“For some time I haven’t taken so many pictures with the people. I feel like I felt when I scored the goal against Boca in the [Copa] Libertadores in 2004,” said Viafara.
