Last updated on .From the section European Football

Aleksandr Kokorin was released from prison on Tuesday

Russian club Zenit St Petersburg have re-signed Aleksandr Kokorin after his early release from prison.

The 28-year-old forward has signed a contract until the end of the season.

Kokorin and fellow footballer Pavel Mamayev were jailed in May after being found guilty of hooliganism for attacking a trade ministry official with a chair and beating up a driver in October 2018.

Mamayev was sentenced to 17 months in custody and Kokorin to 18 months.

Both players were granted an early release following a successful appeal and were freed on Tuesday.

The punishment for hooliganism has a maximum penalty of seven years in jail.

Kokorin was playing for Zenit when the incident occurred while Mamayev was a midfielder for Krasnodar.

Lawyer Yuri Padalko told Russian news agency TASS earlier this month that both players would return to playing football.

Kokorin has 48 caps for Russia, but missed last year's home World Cup through injury, while 30-year-old Mamayev has 15 caps.