“They took the path of correction”: Kokorin and Mamayev petitioned for parole

“It’s hard to predict how it will end.”

Footballers Alexander Kokorin and Pavel Mamaev, as well as Kirill Kokorin, serving their sentences in correctional colony number 4, expect to be released before the expiration of the term of imprisonment. All three filed a petition for parole in the Alekseevsky District Court of the Belgorod Region.

“Today, on August 2, Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Kokorin, Pavel Konstantinovich Mamayev and Kirill Kirillovich Kokorin’s statements on parole were registered in court,” representatives of the agency for the Moscow city news agency said.

According to the deputy director of the FSIN, Valery Maksimenko, convicts, as a rule, have the right to petition for parole six months after they end up in a correctional institution. However, in the case of athletes, this happened earlier, as they have already managed to recommend themselves from the best side. In this regard, it is assumed that the outcome of the application will be positive.

“There are no complaints about discipline and order. In addition, during this short period they were able to take the initiative in organizing a football match and another sports event in the colony, which supported both the leadership and everyone who is serving a sentence there. That is, people behave very, very well. In general, we believe that the characteristics of all three can be given a good one. The FSIN wishes them speedy release. They deserve it. We see that they have taken the path of correction, have realized their guilt. We wish them good luck ", - Moskovsky Komsomolets quotes Maximenko.

At the same time, lawyer Alexander Gribakov suggested that the public outcry, which arose around the case of famous football players, could adversely affect the decision of the court.

“Given that this business has a social resonance, it is difficult to predict how it will all end. If we look at the statistics of socially significant cases, we see that the number of applications for parole is less often satisfied. Probably, they will be refused, ”RIA Novosti lawyer quotes.

Readiness to help brothers Kokorin and Mamayev to receive parole was expressed in the Human Rights Council.

At the moment, the date of consideration of the application remains unknown. If parole is rejected, Mamaev will leave the colony on November 6, and the Kokorin brothers - on December 7.

"The prison is not so terrible"

In the meantime, since the arrival of football players in IK-4, a month has passed, and they continue to master new conditions for themselves. Both admitted that during the process they gained valuable experience that will help them in the future. At the same time, Mamaev is quite optimistic, despite his separation from his family and the difficulties associated with living in a colony.

“In general, prison is not so terrible. Everything depends on the relationship. Nothing bad has happened. We are alive and well. Constraints must be understood as a certain stage that must be passed. Believe me, you can find more bad things in the wild than here, ”said the midfielder.

In addition, they first talked about their journey to the colony, which took about a day. They traveled to the correctional facility by train, in which they had to sleep without mattresses. For several days, the players were placed in the local SIZO, and then - after the quarantine was put - transferred to the squad. According to them, the convicts were looking forward to meeting the athletes, who upon arrival had to answer a large number of questions.

It was reported that in the colony Kokorin and Mamaev will be able to carry out their usual activities and become trainers for juvenile prisoners. However, this did not happen, and, like the other prisoners, they work in the workplace. Work takes them a lot of time and effort, but sport is still present in their lives.

“I was lucky that the head of the colony was a fan of football. It allows us to fully enjoy the sports load and enjoy the game. As part of the daily routine, of course. I do not know how true this is, but they say that after our arrival, convicts who want to play sports have become many times more. Now four teams are going to, and before that there were three or four people, ”added Mamaev.

Experts, fans and colleagues continue to support players. Thus, according to the former Russian midfielder Andrei Tikhonov, the player of Krasnodar will be able to return to the sport after being released.

“I feel sorry for Paul. I have a good relationship with him. You need to know from the inside what was happening there, why he constantly finds himself in such situations. After that we did not communicate. I would like Mamaev to continue his career. He has a bright head. He knows how to play football. The form will pick up, the fees will take one and a half to two months, and everything will be fine. Of course, maybe it will be hard to get to that level. But you can try, ”Tikhonov quotes Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

On October 8, 2018, Mamaev, the Kokorin brothers, as well as children's trainer Alexander Protasovitsky became participants in two fights in the center of Moscow, in which officials Denis Pak and Sergey Gaysin, as well as TV presenter Olga Ushakova, Vitaly Solovchuk, were injured.

In early May, the Presnensky Court of the capital sentenced Kokorins to a year and six months, and Mamayev and Protasovitsky to a year and five months in a penal colony.