Sebastien Bassong, who played for Norwich City from 2012 to 2017, was stopped by a Transport for London (TfL) officer after being spotted tailgating through barriers at St Paul's Station on May 2.

Court documents show the 40-year-old former Cameroon international was carrying an Oyster card issued to a Docklands Light Railway (DLR) driver.

Bassong, who was City's Player of the Season in 2013, has been fined after using an invalid pass. (Image: Newsquest / Bill Smith)

A TfL officer was told Bassong had been using the travelcard because he was experiencing financial and personal hardship due to divorce and unemployment.

At Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on October 30, the former player was convicted of using the rail network without a valid ticket.

Bassong, who played 123 times for City and scored four times, did not enter a plea, and Magistrate Graham Burbage fined him £220, ordered him to pay the £7 fare and also imposed £250 in prosecution costs and an £88 victim surcharge.

Adebukola Anifowose, a revenue control officer for TfL, told the court she spotted Bassong at 1.08pm “pretend to tap an Oyster card enclosed in a white wallet before tailgating through the wide-aisle gate behind another male”.

She said Bassong handed over a TfL staff nominee pass when challenged.

“System checks later confirmed that the pass did not belong to him and had last been used in October 2025.

The centre-back played for the Canaries between 2012 and 2017. (Image: Newsquest / Antony Kelly)

“It was subsequently established that the pass was registered to an ex-girlfriend of this male, who reportedly claimed to be a DLR driver.”

A notice about the prosecution was sent to Bassong’s north London home and he did not respond before the hearing.

He had previously told the Sun he was unaware of any legal action.

He said: "I was using a card given to me, and I was stopped, and I didn’t know it wasn’t good enough.

"I’m a good citizen."

Bassong has been given 28 days to pay the total court bill of £565.

Bassong, who also played for Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur, was named Norwich City's Player of the Season for 2012-13, becoming the first player from outside the British Isles to win the Barry Butler Memorial Trophy.