Oranje footballer Quincy Promes prosecuted for attempted manslaughter

The Public Prosecution Service will prosecute charges of attempted manslaughter filed against footballer Quincy Promes. The 29-year-old Amsterdammer is accused of using a knife to stab a relative in the knee at a family party in Abcoude last year.

The Public Prosecution Service (OM) said in comments about the case it was not willing to confirm on the record that the accusation is against Promes. The footballer, who spent two nights in jail at the end of last year as a suspect, has always denied the allegations.

Promes was playing for Ajax at the time, but at the beginning of this year he moved to the Russian club Spartak Moscow. He played fifty international matches for the Dutch national team and scored seven goals. His last international appearance was at the European Championship last summer, in the Round of Eight match against the Czech Republic (0-2).

The relative did not file a criminal report until November. The victim reportedly suffered serious injuries.

The police completed the investigation in May and sent the case to the OM in Amsterdam. In the summer, shortly after the European Championship, the OM said it intended to prosecute the case on the basis of the investigation. It has now led to a charge of attempted manslaughter or aggravated assault. In the case of stabbings, this carries a prison sentence of 24 to 42 months. It is not yet known when the case will be heard in court.

Ajax sold Promes in February for at least 8.5 million euros to Spartak Moscow, where he also played from 2014 to 2018. That amount can rise to 11 million euros after bonuses. Promes has scored three goals in the Russian league so far this season.

Louis van Gaal dropped Promes from the national team when he took over the manager's job from Frank de Boer, who stepped down after the European Championship. "When a player is involved in such a case, it is much more difficult for him to keep his focus on the game," Van Gaal said in October. "In Russia you are far away, but in the Netherlands you are very close. That is a big difference. I don't think I can select players who are involved in these matters."

The victim has claimed a house belonging to Promes as collateral for an eventual damages claim in the criminal case. This claim was handled in a civil procedure.