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 accusations of bad behaviour.

Step forward Gino Coutinho, goalkeeper of the Eredivisie club ADO Den Haag who, along with his girlfriend, was yesterday on trial in a Dutch court charged with owning a major cannabis farm and, as if that was not enough, being involved in forgery and money laundering. The prosecution is seeking a prison term of 12 months. A guilty verdict would leave 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.

Coutinho's father William was himself sentenced recently to two years in prison for his involvement with the Ens marijuana factory.

Coutinho - a former Dutch Under-21 international who played at the 2001 Under-20 World Cup - 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.

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.

• This article was amended on 22 April 2011. The original was predicated on the mistaken understanding that Gino Coutinho's trial had ended and that he had been found guilty. This was incorrect and the article has been amended accordingly.