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Star Russian Footballers Accused of Violent Attacks Receive 2 Months Behind Bars

Alexander Kokorin, Pavel Mamayev (Moskva News Agency / MT)

Judges have ordered Russia international football players Alexander Kokorin and Pavel Mamayev be detained in custody prior to being tried on accusations of carrying out violent attacks in central Moscow.

The pair will be in pre-trial detention until Dec. 8 on the orders of two judges in a Moscow court on Thursday (Oct. 11). Russian police said on Wednesday they had opened a criminal investigation and detained the players.

The attacks, allegedly perpetrated by Zenit St. Petersburg forward Kokorin and Krasnodar midfielder Mamayev on Monday (Oct. 8), were captured on CCTV and prompted widespread outrage among ordinary Russians as well as reaction from the Kremlin.

Footage, which has been circulated widely by the Russian media, shows a man being kicked and punched in the street by a group of people said to include the two footballers and another incident in which two civil servants appeared to be assaulted in a cafe.

Mamayev's lawyer, Igor Bushmanov, said one of the alleged victims had provoked the player who wanted a face-to-face meeting to apologise for his actions, for which he would take responsibility.

Kokorin has 48 caps for Russia but missed this year's World Cup with a knee injury. Mamayev has represented the national team 15 times.

The two men also face possible sanctions from their clubs.

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