Football

Accident and positive breathalyser test for Daniel Maldini in Milan

The Cagliari footballer tested positive on a breathalyser following a crash involving his Porsche, resulting in his driving licence being withdrawn

13 September 2026aggiornato il 14 settembre 2026

Aggiungi Il Sole 24 Ore
ai preferiti su Google

Daniel Maldini del Cagliari è stato nominato "Giocatore della partita Panini" al termine dell'incontro di Serie A tra il Cagliari Calcio e il Lecce, disputato all'Unipol Domus di Cagliari, in Sardegna, lunedì 7 settembre 2026. Sport - Calcio (Foto di Gianluca Zuddas/Lapresse) LAPRESSE

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

Maldini Jr posts his negative drug test results from Cagliari on social media
Latvia’s Welfare Minister sacked for driving with a high blood alcohol level

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Cagliari were in Bergamo to face Atalanta, his former club. Daniel Maldini then spent the evening in Milan, where he was born and raised, but at 5.15 am, whilst driving his Porsche Carrera 4, he failed to give way and crashed into another car , testing positive for alcohol at the breathalyser, resulting in his driving licence being suspended. The road accident took place on Via Caracciolo, in an area near Citylife in the Lombard capital, and involved five other people, all of whom sustained minor injuries.

The son of Paolo Maldini, Daniel will turn 25 in a month’s time and is trying to relaunch his career in the red-and-blue shirt after years of mixed sporting results, as well as having been involved in other off-pitch issues. Last July, he was summoned and interviewed as a witness in the investigation – in which he is not a suspect – being conducted by the Milan Public Prosecutor’s Office, centred on ‘Ma.De Milano’, a company alleged to have organised ‘all-inclusive’ evenings – in some cases involving drugs – for VIP clients, particularly Serie A footballers, in the city’s trendy nightspots and luxury hotels.

Despite an extraordinary start to the season for Cagliari, with three wins from four matches, things are not going well for the Rossoblù off the pitch. In August, striker Yael Trepy nearly drowned in a swimming pool accident and was placed in a medically induced coma, although he has recently been given the all-clear by doctors to gradually resume training.

Now, the road accident involving Maldini, who, whilst driving his car, crashed into a Golf, which then ended up hitting a Mercedes that was parked. The footballer was in the car with a girl and two boys.

The car he crashed into, however, was carrying a man and a woman. All six people, including the footballer, sustained minor injuries and were taken to hospital as ‘code yellow’ cases.

Maldini, who was taken to Fatebenefratelli Hospital for tests, was discharged immediately and returned home “in good health” and unharmed, as his lawyer Danilo Buongiorno has stated. After testing positive on the breathalyser with readings of 0.91 g/l on the first test and 0.89 g/l on the second – the legal limit is 0.5 – the results of toxicology tests for the presence of drugs are now awaited.

Maldini Jr posts negative drug test results from Cagliari on social media

On the morning of 14 September, Daniel Maldini gave his account of what happened in the hours following the road accident. On social media, in response to the controversy, he published the results of the tests carried out at a laboratory in Cagliari, accredited by the regional health service. The tests for the substances screened for (amphetamines, cocaine, cannabis, methadone, methamphetamines, ecstasy, opiates and buprenorphine) – as shown in the report – all came back negative. These were tests carried out directly by the player.

Meanwhile, the Rossoblù striker is also defending himself through his solicitor, Danilo Buongiorno, who dismisses the reports of ‘positive toxicological test results concerning Daniel’ as ‘groundless’, reiterating that the tests carried out in Cagliari came back negative.

Let's talk about football

On the pitch, his season has got off to a flying start, with two goals, including the decisive penalty last night against Atalanta. Incidentally, it was ‘La Dea’ themselves who sent him out on loan to Sardinia this summer. In 2025, he moved to Bergamo from Monza, where he had made his mark under manager Palladino. In Brianza, he finally seemed to have come into his own with important goals and performances, following a difficult start to his career amongst the ‘big clubs’ at Milan, where he came through the youth ranks.

Wearing the shirt of his favourite club and with high expectations resting on his shoulders – not least because of the weight of his father Paolo’s and grandfather Cesare’s surnames, both legendary captains of Milan – Daniel has made few appearances but was nonetheless part of the squad that won the Rossoneri’s most recent Scudetto in 2022, becoming the third member of the Maldini dynasty to achieve this feat.

From then on, there was a flurry of loan moves – to Spezia and Empoli – before he ended up at Monza, where he seemed to have finally come into his own, so much so that he caught the eye of the big clubs. Atalanta, then managed by Gasperini, signed him, but in Bergamo Maldini struggled to break into the first team and ended up on loan at Lazio. In the summer, he returned to Bergamo before going out on loan again to Cagliari, where he scored his first goals. Like yesterday’s goal – a moment of joy that was subsequently marred by the road accident.

Latvian Welfare Minister sacked for driving with a high blood alcohol level

Latvia’s Welfare Minister, Reinis Uzulnieks, was dismissed from his post today after being stopped by the police whilst driving his car with a blood alcohol level exceeding 3 per thousand.

This was announced by the Latvian state television portal, LSM. Uzulnieks, who was also immediately expelled from his party, the Union of Greens and Farmers, is currently under police supervision in Riga. The role of acting Minister for Welfare has been assigned to the Minister for Agriculture, Uldis Augulis.