On June 19, a Dutch court sentenced an 18-month prison term to former Netherlands international footballer Quincy Promes for stabbing his cousin at a family gathering.


Due to his current residence in Russia, the 31-year-old forward for Spartak Moscow, who pleaded not guilty, was not present in court in Amsterdam for the sentencing.


His lawyer said the "disappointed" Promes would appeal.


Promes stabbed his cousin in the leg at the end of a family birthday party in 2020 in a row over a stolen necklace, the court found.


Anyone convicted of the offence would normally get a sentence of at least a year, but Promes got a heavier jail term because of his public profile, it said.


"The court took into account that the suspect is a professional football player and well-known Dutchman, and therefore has an exemplary function," the court said in a statement.


"The court also blames the suspect for not taking any responsibility for his act."


Prosecutors, who had demanded a two-year sentence, last year dropped a charge of attempted murder against Promes.


"Our client has asked us to appeal," his lawyer Robert Malewicz was quoted as saying by Dutch news agency ANP.


"We briefly discussed the verdict. He reacted disappointed. We will study the verdict carefully, but he has already asked us to appeal."


The appeal would focus on phone taps, Malewicz said.


The stabbing investigation was triggered by intercepted phone calls from a separate probe into a drug-smuggling case involving Promes.


Promes was charged in May with importing several hundred kilos of cocaine through the Belgian port of Antwerp in 2020.


Prosecutors said it was "premature" to seek his extradition. Promes has 50 caps and seven goals to his name. He played for the country at the Euro 2020 tournament in 2021 because Covid was injured, but he hasn't sported the orange jersey since.


He transferred from Sevilla to Amsterdam's Ajax in 2019 for 15 million euros ($16.4 million), then returned to Spartak in 2021. During a previous stint with Spartak, he was voted Russia's footballer of the year in 2017.