Former Russia stars face ‘lifetime ban’
Moscow, Russia - Russian Premier League chiefs have requested a lifetime ban for disgraced footballers Pavel Mamaev and Alexander Kokorin following an unprovoked attack on two government officials on Monday.
Krasnodar midfielder Mamaev and Zenit Saint Petersburg forward Kokorin are facing a five-year jail term after video footage caught them attacking two Russian trade ministry officials in an upscale Moscow cafe.
The footage showed one of the officials, Denis Pak, an ethnic Korean, being hit with a chair while eating a meal.
Now the former Russian international players, who have courted controversy in the past, could be banned for life from playing in Russia. "This case is unusual in terms of our football and the league has addressed a request to the ethics committee of the Russian Football Union to impose a lifetime ban on Mamaev and Kokorin," Premier League spokesman Sergei Alekseyev said on Wednesday.
Although they have not yet been formally charged, the pair also face up to five years in prison over the incident.
Before the cafe assault the footballers attacked the driver of a television host and damaged her Mercedes in a separate incident on Monday.
Kokorin last played for Russia in late 2017, while Mamaev was last selected in 2016.