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To be fair, he was growing more than a bit of weed. Over 4000 plants to be precise. I don't really understand the laws with this sort of thing in Holland, what with it being available to smoke in bars and what have you: Gino Coutinho: Dutchman who makes Joey Barton look like Theo Walcott | Football | The Guardian Gino Coutinho: Dutchman who makes Joey Barton look like Theo WalcottDen Haag's goalkeeper has put England's bad boys in the shade after being found guilty of owning a major cannabis farm, forgery and money laundering What with Ashley Cole's air rifle and Joey Barton's many moments of questionable conduct – the most recent being his claim to be England's best midfielder – this has been another season of woe for the reputation of Premier League footballers. But as the campaign edges to its close they can all breath a sign of relief, for it transpires that there is a player in Holland who tops the lot when it comes to bad behaviour. Step forward Gino Coutinho, goalkeeper of the Eredivisie club ADO Den Haag who, along with his girlfriend, was yesterday found guilty in a Dutch court of owning a major cannabis farm and, as if that was not enough, being involved in forgery and money laundering. The pair were sentenced to 12 months in prison, leaving Coutinho's career in ruins and his club the task of finding a replacement keeper for their remaining three games of the season. Police arrested Coutinho in August 2009 after raiding a warehouse in Ens, a village in the Dutch province of Flevoland, that contained over 4,200 marijuana plants. The 28-year-old denied his involvement despite being on the premises, with his partner, when officers raided and he continued to maintain that stance even after it was discovered to be registered in his name. As Coutinho, a former Dutch Under-21 international who played at the 2001 Under-20 World Cup, wallows in his prison cell he may well reflect on his roots as the source of his sins. After all his father William was himself sentenced to two years in prison last month for his involvement with the Ens marijuana factory. Dopes and doping, it appears, run in the family. Coutinho has been at Den Haag since 2008 following stints at PSV, Den Bosch, NAC Breda and Vitesse. He has established himself as the club's first-choice goalkeeper and was instrumental in their success this season, with the former amateur team from Hague – whose average attendance at their Kyocera Stadion barely reaches 12,000 spectators – currently fifth in Holland's top flight and harbouring genuine ambitions of making next season's Europa League. Tonight they host FC Twente, who are in second place, level on points with the leaders PSV. John van den Brom, the Den Haag manager, has expressed his disappointment with Coutinho's behaviour and is now likely to pick his back-up keeper Robert Zwinkels for the visit of Twente. There is, as yet, no word on whether Coutinho has officially been sacked by Den Haag or if he will be allowed to return to the club once he has completed his prison sentence. Whatever happens, Coutinho will always be the man Barton and Co can turn to when trying to prove they are not so bad after all.