Why Viktor Gyokeres could miss Arsenal matches as court appearance explained

Arsenal's Viktor Gyokeres has been called to testify in a legal case in Sweden and could miss game time for the Gunners as a result.

Having joined the north Londoners from Sporting CP for a hefty £63.7million during the summer transfer window, Gyokeres has already netted twice in his first three Premier League outings. But his availability in 2026 is now in doubt after he was dragged into a court case in Stockholm.

The 27-year-old forward is managed by Hasan Cetinkaya, who has filed a lawsuit for gross defamation against two publications in Sweden. The case concerns allegations, published by Fotboll Sthlm and Expressen, that Cetinkaya and his agency, HCM Sports Management, had ties to criminal gangs.

Cetinkaya denies the allegations and previously reported the outlets to the media ombudsman in Sweden for “violations of good journalistic practice”. He has now escalated the matter to the Stockholm District Court.

Gyokeres himself is not implicated in any criminal activity but is expected to provide testimony as a witness. Legal documents submitted by Cetinkaya's solicitor Joakim Lundqvist reveal that the Swedish international has agreed to testify if necessary, reports the Mirror.

Speaking to SVT Sport, Lundqvist said: "He has been called as a witness to be heard in the case regarding the circumstances described in the evidence."

The litigation comes after a shooting in the Stockholm suburb of Huddinge in August. Shots were fired at the home of a relative of one of Gyokeres’ representatives. Stockholm police continue to investigate the incident in which no-one was injured, but have warned about the potential for violence around the industry, given the amount of money involved. Mirror Football has reached out to HCM Sports Management and Lundqvist for additional comments.

Gyokeres officially became a Gunner on July 26 after a long transfer saga. A verbal spat ensued between Gyokeres' representatives and Sporting president Federico Varandas, who refuted allegations of a gentleman's agreement to sell the forward this summer.

Sporting imposed a fine on Gyokeres for his refusal to train, but eventually, all parties came to an agreement. The ex-Coventry and Brighton striker has featured in all three of Arsenal's Premier League matches this season, netting twice in the 5-0 rout of Leeds.

Currently, he is on international duty with Sweden, where he was in the starting line-up for their 2-2 draw against Slovenia in Ljubljana on Friday night. Sweden have another World Cup qualifier lined up against Kosovo in Pristina on Monday night.

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