• Player was hit and scorched after throwing shirt into crowd • 'Maybe he thought I was one of the fans,' say Lazovic

This article is more than 9 years old

This article is more than 9 years old

Zenit St Petersburg accused riot police of zapping their striker Danko Lazovic with an electric baton as he tried to throw his shirt into the stands during a Russian league match on Sunday.

Television footage shows the shirtless Serbian being approached by police officers as he moved towards the away fans after the match on Saturday at Volga Nizhny Novgorod.

Zenit, the defending champions, said Lazovic was given an electric shock that left a burn mark under his right shoulder blade. Police deny the accusation.

"I simply went to give my shirt to the fans after the game when a policeman appeared behind me and hit me in the back with an electric shock," Lazovic was quoted by Sport Express newspaper as saying. "I don't know why this happened. Maybe he thought I was one of the fans."