Real Madrid forward Luka Jovic will have to testify before prosecutors in Serbia over claims he breached his coronavirus quarantine, according to reports in the country.
Serbian broadcaster Pink and newspaper Kurir both reported on Wednesday that police in Belgrade had filed charges against the 22-year-old after he flew home from Madrid last month and then failed to follow self-isolation protocols.
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If convicted, Jovic -- and the Ascoli player Nikola Ninkovic, who is accused of the same offence -- faces a potential penalty ranging from a €1,275 fine to a three-year jail term.
Earlier this month fellow footballer Aleksandr Prijovic was sentenced to three months' house arrest for breaking a COVID-19 curfew in Belgrade.
Serbian citizens returning to the country from high-risk areas are required to remain at home for 28 days.
Prosecutors will investigate if Jovic, who had received permission from Real Madrid to travel, was informed of the rules on his arrival from Spain.
The striker has apologised for his actions after facing criticism from Serbia's president and prime minister, claiming that he believed leaving home to go to a pharmacy was permitted.
"While in Spain, I tested negative for coronavirus, and I decided to travel to Serbia," he said last month in a post on Instagram. "I am very sorry that some people did their job unprofessionally and did not give me the correct instructions on how to behave in self-isolation.
"In Spain, I was allowed to go to a pharmacy and a supermarket so I could get the groceries I needed, which is not the case here."
Jovic signed for Real Madrid for €60 million from Eintracht Frankfurt in 2019 and has had a difficult first season in La Liga, scoring just two league goals.
