MOSCOW (AP) — Police on Wednesday questioned two Russian soccer players accused of beating a government official at a Moscow cafe and detained one of them.
Zenit St. Petersburg striker Alexander Kokorin and Krasnodar midfielder Pavel Mamayev have been accused of beating an official from the Russian Ministry for Industry and Trade who rebuked them for behaving improperly.
Police said Kokorin and Mamayev were questioned Wednesday and later announced that Mamayev was put in custody on hooliganism charges.
A video taken by a surveillance camera and broadcast by Russian TV stations showed the official being hit with a chair over his head and slapped in the face. A probe is under way, and the players could face several years in prison if found guilty.
Russian media also reported that the two players are suspected of beating up a motorist in a separate incident earlier this week that was also caught on surveillance cameras and widely televised.
The Russian Premier League strongly condemned the "hooliganism." Krasnodar said it may terminate Mamayev's contract, while Zenit said it would take disciplinary measures against Kokorin.
