Photo courtesy of bleacherreport.com//twitter

Former Arsenal striker Gervinho is in trouble after allegedly trying to smuggle a woman on a private jet from his native Ivory Coast.

The player, who now plies his trade in Italy for Serie A side Roma, had just taken part in his country’s home defeat to Democratic Republic of Congo.

Footballgossip.org.uk quotes an Ivorian website, Imatin, as saying that Gervinho had hired a private jet for his trip back to Italy.

According to Imatin, the striker had managed to bribe his way through immigration and had gotten the girl onto the plane.

However the pilot of the plane stubbornly declined to take off with the unaccounted for passenger and she had to disembark.

Four airport officials at the Abdijan airport have since been sacked over the incident.