Saint Petersburg's "Zenit" forward Alexander Kokorin and "FC Krasnodar" defender Pavel Mamayev are facing serious trouble. They have been charged with criminal cases due to multiple fights they caused in Moscow on Monday morning, during which at least three people were injured.
As reported by Snob.ru, the footballers agreed to meet in Moscow beforehand and celebrate their friendship anniversary together.
It was determined that around 9 am they visited a cafe called "Kofemanija" on Nikitos Street. The behavior of A. Kokorin and P. Mamayev did not sit well with a group of high-ranking officials present there, leading to a conflict.
According to Denis Pak, the director of the Department of Automotive Industry and Railway Machine Building at the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia, the footballers initiated the fights. They started hurling racial insults (D. Pak is a Korean-Russian) and eventually hit him in the head with a chair.
The moment of the blow was captured in a released video recording.
According to Snob.ru, the director suffered a broken tooth. The injuries sustained by Sergei Gaisin, the general director of the Federal Research Center NAMI, are not detailed. A criminal case has been opened due to the injuries.
However, the footballers' adventures in Moscow did not seem to end there. Interfax reported that A. Kokorin and P. Mamayev were involved in another violent incident earlier that morning. While walking the streets of Moscow with a group of friends, they stumbled upon a parked "Mercedes."
This did not sit well with the personal driver of "Channel One" show host Olga Ushakova, Viktor Solovyov. The footballers and their friends immediately attacked him, causing him to suffer a brain injury and a broken nose. A criminal case was also opened due to this assault.
FC Krasnodar announced on Tuesday morning its intention to terminate the contract with P. Mamayev, although they previously tried to explain that the scandal in Moscow was his "personal matter." Zenit club earlier stated that they intend to wait until law enforcement concludes the investigation into A. Kokorin's actions.
A. Kokorin missed this year's World Cup in Russia due to a serious injury, while P. Mamayev has not been called up to the national team since 2016, when he, along with A. Kokorin, made headlines for partying in Monaco shortly after Russia was eliminated from the European Championship.
Antanas Manstavičius, Alfa.lt
