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Kokorin and Mamaev in training for Sbornaya within the last few years | Photo: Eurosport.ru

Update [11th Oct, 18:00]: Day three of proceedings has seen a number of videos and photos of the duo come out, as well as it progressing to the court room.

UEFA confirmed they are aware of the incident and are monitoring the story.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs officially confirmed the participation of Kokorin and Mamaev in the two assaults.

Kokorin’s lawyer claimed that Mr Pak provoked Kokorin.

Kokorin’s younger brother Kirill was also detained for his role in the assault of the first victim – now named with Vitaly Solovchuk.

Mamaev and Kokorin both claim in their early statements that they were not under the influence of drugs, only beer.

An outrageous photo of Kokorin in handcuffs appeared online (below).

Kokorin claimed “If the chair in the cafe was bolted to the ground, none of this would have happened.”

Kokorin has appeared in court. The prosecution state that they believe he is a danger to citizens and should not be released.

Kokorin admitted in court that he compared Mr Pak to Korean pop star Psy – singer of Gangnam Style, which he took offence to and then swore at Kokorin.

Kokorin ended with this statement: “I would like to apologise for my unworthy act. I am very ashamed in front of my parents, my club, my fans. I behaved unacceptably, I will do everything to earn forgiveness and make amends. Please do not deprive me of freedom.”

Photo: Telegram Channel Кремлёвская прачка

Update [10th Oct, 18:30]: It’s been a roller-coaster 24 hours for this story which we’ll try to sum up in bullet points in chronological order.

The RFU reportedly is considering lifetime bans for both Mamaev and Kokorin.

Zenit removed all Kokorin merchandise from their online store.

Mamaev’s wife denied reports she filed for divorce, but she has condemned her husband’s actions.

The duo’s friend and fellow footballer, Alan Chochiev, said he had communicated with Kokorin and that they are ready to apologise and help the victims and their families financially.

The police issued a statement declaring that Mamaev and Kokorin had until 6pm MSK to arrive at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, or face being placed on a federal wanted listed.

The duo’s crime was re-defined from assault to hooliganism, which has a maximum penalty of 7 years jail time.

Around an hour before the deadline, Mamaev arrived.

The deadline passed, Kokorin didn’t arrive. The police began the process of adding him to the watch list.

90 minutes after the deadline, Kokorin arrives. His lawyer claimed that they were not informed that he had to be there by 6pm.

Mamaev has been placed under an initial 48 hour detainment while he undergoes questioning.

Update [9th Oct, 18:30]: Various reports have come out during the day to add fuel to the ever growing fire. Firstly, from Moscow Komsomolets, who claim that while Kokorin was out getting in trouble, his wife was in hospital with his child.

Meanwhile, the telegram channel Mash, who were among the first to break the story, report that at some point before or during the incident involving Mr Pak, Kokorin and Mamaev sang Gangnam Style in a derogatory manner, due to his ethnicity.

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.

With the international break taking place after this round of RPL fixtures, Kokorin and Mamaev – who had played against each other on Sunday evening as Zenit beat Krasnodar 2-1 – went out on the town. Neither had been summoned to the national team on this occasion, so both essentially were on a two-week break.

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. Pictures later circled showing the man in hospital with bruises and (Championat/Mash).

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.

This incident, while occurring first, was actually the second to be reported. 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 (according to Championat).

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”.

This is not the first time that Kokorin and Mamaev have been caught in controversy. After Russia were eliminated from EURO 2016, they were caught up in a scandal after spending a reported €250k on champagne in Monte Carlo. At the time, both players were fined by their clubs and demoted to the second team, before eventually returning to the first-team fold.

However, this is much more serious. If both victims press charges, it’s not without the realms of possibility that both Kokroin and Mamaev could face jail time, especially if the injuries are as serious as reported. Of course, with the wealth at their disposal, they’ll have top lawyers defending them during the process which may see them escape with heavy fines. But whether their football careers would recover is another question.

It’s come at a crucial time for both – Kokorin is now 27 and has just returned from an ACL injury which saw him sidelined for seven months and miss the World Cup. Mamaev has just turned 30-years-old, and has been in fine form this season – argualy the finest of his career thus far.

Unfortunately, one again the off-field antics of two previously controversial players once again rightfully overshadow their brilliance on the pitch.

The two have been close all their career, but now, having both seemingly turned corners in their career very recently, all their work has gone to waste.