Two Russian internationals detained over brutal cafe attack

Russia internationals Pavel Mamev and Alexander Kokorin are under investigation over an attack on a civil servant at a Moscow café on Tuesday.

Zenit St Petersburg’s Kokorin and Krasnodar’s Mamev are said to have attacked trade minister Denis Pak.

The duo was filmed attacking Pak with a chair in an upscale Moscow café. The players also reportedly hurled ethnic slurs against the government official, who is an ethnic Korean.

Pak sought medical assistance before reporting the incident to the police.

Russia’s interior ministry has opened an investigation into the assault.

"The investigation is currently establishing all the circumstances of and participants in the incident," the interior ministry said in a statement.

Zenit St. Petersburg released a statement on Tuesday condemning the incident and confirming they are in touch with authorities over possible legal actions.

"Regarding yesterday's incident in Moscow involving Aleksandr Kokorin, we absolutely condemn the actions of those involved," the official statement by the club reads.

"It has caused outrage within our club and we are waiting for a legal assessment from the relevant authorities, but from a personal point of view, such behaviour is truly shocking.

"We are now considering what punishment the club will take against the player and action will be forthcoming in the near future. At this present time, the club and the supporters are very disappointed that one of the country's most talented footballers has behaved in such a manner."

Following the café incident, Krasnodar confirmed they are exploring the possibility of ending Mamev’s contract.

"What we saw on the video is outrageous. And there can be no excuse for this," the club said. "The first thing we can do is apply all possible sanctions specified in the contract. We will impose a maximum penalty on the player and remove them from first-team training.

"At the moment, we are studying how to break a contract with a player. Unfortunately, contracts are designed in such a way that they protect professional athletes as much as possible. But we will do everything to achieve this."

Mamev, 30, has 15 caps for Russia, while Kokorin, 27, holds 48 caps for the national team.

None of them featured at this year’s World Cup, and according to the Russian Football Union, neither Mamev nor Kokorin have a relationship with the national team at the present.