Bristol Rovers player told 'to grow up' after driving ban

A footballer has been told to "grow up" by a magistrate after telling a court he did not know he needed car insurance to drive in the UK.

Bristol Rovers player Clinton Mola, 25, was stopped by police on 28 November 2025 while driving a black Audi SQ8 SUV in central London.

The midfielder, who started his career at Chelsea, was just four months into a previous two-year driving ban when he was pulled over.

The father-of-one was handed a further three-year driving ban and a fine and costs totalling £2,238 after admitting driving while disqualified and driving without insurance at Westminster Magistrates Court.

The player had his partner and child in the car when he was stopped in Southwark, and told officers he did not know he needed insurance, or that he had previously received a ban.

Fadi Daoud, defending, said most of Mola's previous driving experience had been with a Mercedes provided by sponsors in Germany during his time playing for Stuttgart.

"He had insurance that came with the vehicle, not the driver. He did not understand that here you insure the person not the car," Daoud said.

Daoud added: 'He's a very young man, 24 at the time. He works six days a week, he plays football on the seventh day.

"He got it wrong because he was so busy. He has the responsibility of family. There is some ignorance on his part - not wilful."

Daoud asked that Mola avoid unpaid work as a punishment because he would not have time due to his job.

Magistrate Jeffrey Manson told the former England youth international he risked prison if he were to be caught behind the wheel again.

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