Russian national football players Alexander Kokorin and Pavel Mamayev were arrested. This was confirmed by the Moscow police on Wednesday. The two athletes are said to have been involved in brawls in the Russian capital.
Both athletes volunteered to submit to investigators according to Russian media reports. Kokorin, who had passed a deadline, risked being put on the police wanted list. His lawyer had previously asked for a hearing on Thursday.
The two footballers allegedly attacked and injured several people on Monday in a café and restaurant in Moscow. An official from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce was hospitalized with injuries. The man had wanted to arbitrate and should have been attacked, it was said. The two players are said to have beaten the driver of a television presenter.
It is unclear so far whether Kokorin and Mamayev come in pre-trial detention. This could possibly be decided on Thursday.
"Everyone has to comply with laws"
Russia's Minister of Sports Pavel Kolobkov had threatened on Tuesday with all the strictness of the law. "It does not matter who it is - football players, ordinary citizens - all have to comply with laws," he told the television station Russija 24. The footballers would expect the exclusion from the national team.
Kolobkov referred to a video that was circulated in the media to prove that the two footballers were involved in the dispute. The speaker of the Russian president, Dmitri Peskow, called the video frequencies as "rather unpleasant". There have been several witnesses to the alleged abuses. "That's how the authorities can more easily determine the circumstances."
Russian Interior Ministry Chief Department in Moscow / REUTERS
Shot from a security camera in the Moscow cafe
For the 2018 World Cup in Russia Kokorin and Mamayev had not been considered. They were already in the headlines in 2016, because they had ordered after the early EM-out of Sbornaja at a party in Monaco for about 250,000 euros of champagne.
Kokorin later returned to Russian selection after apologizing for his behavior. Mamayev has since denied any international match. Currently he is under contract with FK Krasnodar, Kokorin plays for Zenit St. Petersburg.