Russian football club Krasnodar said on Tuesday it had suspended its midfielder Pavel Mamaev from training and was considering options to terminate contract with him amid the player's involvement in a brawl in a cafe in Moscow.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th October, 2018) Russian football club Krasnodar said on Tuesday it had suspended its midfielder Pavel Mamaev from training and was considering options to terminate contract with him amid the player's involvement in a brawl in a cafe in Moscow.
On Monday, media reported that Mamaev and Alexander Kokorin, striker of St. Petersburg-based Zenit football club, had attacked two Russian Trade Ministry officials in the cafe early in the morning. One of the officials received head injuries. Moscow police have launched a criminal case and started investigating the incident.
"The first thing we can do is apply all possible sanctions that are specified in the contract. We will impose a maximum penalty on the player and suspend him from training with the first team (unfortunately, the contract does not allow a very long suspension). At the moment we are studying the ways to break the contract with the player. Unfortunately, contracts are designed in such a way that they protect professional athletes as much as possible. But we will do everything possible to achieve this," the statement read.
The club saw a criminal investigation launched into the incident involving its football player for the first time ever, it added.
"What we saw on the video is outrageous. And there can be no excuse for that," the club stressed.
Late on Monday, Zenit football club confirmed Kokorin's participation in the incident, condemned the player's behavior and expressed hope that the police would investigate the incident properly.
In a separate statement on Tuesday, Zenit condemned Kokorin's actions.
"What happened yesterday in Moscow with the participation of Alexander Kokorin causes a sharp resentment and outrage in the club. We are waiting for a legal assessment from the relevant authorities, but from a humane and emotional point of view, such an incident is just a shame," Zenit said.
However, Zenit avoided announcing sanctions against Kokorin immediately.
"Right now, we do not consider it necessary to talk about the punishment of the player by the club. It will follow. But at the moment, Zenit's management and fans do not feel anything but disappointment that one of the country's most talented football players behaved so disgustingly," it said.
Acting president of the Russian Football Union (RFU), Alexander Alaev, said the incident cast a shadow on Russian football.
"First of all, I want to say that the law is one for all, the guilty will be punished. I am sure that the Interior Ministry will conduct a competent investigation and establish all the circumstances of the incident. Such cases cast a shadow on our football," Alaev said.
Also on Monday, media reported that a driver of popular Russian tv host Olga Ushakova was beaten by a group of five men the same morning and received head injuries. Early on Tuesday, the police said they were studying information that Mamaev and Kokorin could have possibly been among the attackers.
