Remarkable story surfacing today on 2 high profile Russian stars who've been slightly over aggressive on a night out. Kokorin is a regular for leaders Zenit and has 48 caps for Russia, his mate Mamaev plays for 2nd place Krasnodar and is also an international. At ages 27 and 30, they really should know a bit better and it doesn't look good for them. What a pair of pricks.
In a constantly updating and unravelling story, Russian international duo Alexandr Kokorin and Pavel Mamaev are involved in yet another huge controversy this week, after footage emerged of them attacking two men following a night out in Moscow this past weekend. According to Championat, the players were arrested by police on Tuesday afternoon and questioned.
Having partied all night, Kokorin and Mamaev left a strip club in north-west Moscow named Capital, and reportedly started kicking cars in the car park. After a bystander – later named locally as Viktor, the driver of Perviy Kanal TV host Olga Ushakova – made a comment about the duo’s behaviour, they allegedly attacked the man. He was later taken to hospital with “concussion and a traumatic brain injury” having been struck on the head a number of times.
CCTV footage later released shows a scuffle breaking out far from the camera, before eventually moving closer. Mamaev, appeared to be sporting a white beanie hat, appears to be the more involved of the two. Towards the end of the video, the victim has clearly surrendered, with his hands up as he hobbles away. An unknown third party and Mamaev then appear to strike him once again.
Not content with the attack on the earlier man, later that morning the duo attacked a man who asked them to be quiet in a café – once more in North-West Moscow. In CCTV footage, a man resembling Kokorin dressed in a black hoodie hits another man with a wooden chair, before being restrained by another man – resembling Mamaev. The victim of this attack would then be revealed to be Denis Pak, a government official working for the Ministry of Industry.
In a statement later issued by Mr Pak’s attorney – Gennady Udunyan – it was implied that the duo racially insulted Mr Pak before or during the attack, and that it was part of their motivation to attack him. This is yet to be proven.
The ramification for the players at this stage are looking to be very severe. Both their clubs have issued statements, with varying degrees of severity.
Krasnodar confirmed in their statement that Mamaev had been suspended from the first team, and that they were exploring avenues to terminate the players’ contract. Zenit were more ambiguous, and although they condemned the attacks, said that any punishment would be forthcoming – perhaps resultant upon any official investigations.
The Moscow police have confirmed that they are officially investigating the first attack, while the fact that Mr Pak’s attorney is involved indicates that they too will be pressing charges.
In the wider scheme, Kokorin and Mamaev have been widely criticized. Names including former Russian National Team coach Boris Ignatiev, RFU President Alexander Alaev, FIFA Ambassador Viktoria Lopyreva and State Duma Chairman Mikhail Starshinov have all condemned the players’ actions, with Starshinov calling for legal punishment. While the RPL themselves have released a statement imploring the two are “punished to the fullest extent”.
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Wonder how many lifers will read this......
and then google Olga Ushakova
Still find it incredible that 2 high profile players are strolling around Moscow attacking people.
In my experience.
Always dangerous to judge whole nations on the behaviour of those few rich enough to travel abroad or how two footballers act.
They do have a strange culture, In the words of Blackadder, the renaissance was just something that happened to everyone else.
- Russia has no history of democracy. Nor does its people have any claim or desire to be seen as European, including in the way they behave in daily life.
- on the contrary it has a yearning for 'strong leaders' (which to some extent seems to be the case too in the European states it held in its grip from 1945. I thought it might be a Slavic personality thing but the Hungarians are not Slavs.)
- it is very true that Russian hospitality is legendary, so I'm not surprised that a lot of people had a great time at the WC18
- it is very common for Russian patriotism to turn very chippy and to give it the biggun. Not just on holiday. But it is also very easy to make them shrink back in their box by standing up to them (assuming they are not going to turn violent)
My wife has a story from her Unilever days around 2003 when the Czechs and others were about to become EU members. She was in a meeting of marketing managers from all those countries and from Russia. All female, as it happens and the Russian one was one of the younger members. At a coffee break they started discussing the implications of upcoming EU membership, personal as well as corporate. Suddenly the Russian woman launched into a tirade. It was terrible that they were joining the EU she said; they belong with Russia, and they should all be resisting this development. There was a short silence after she had finished, then the Polish woman took a deep breath and replied " Well...no one invited YOU to join..."