Russian duo Kokorin and Mamaev arrested over violent attacks

By order of a Moscow court, Russian footballers Alexander Kokorin and Pavel Mamaev will be detained until 8 December while they await a ruling over charges of hooliganism.

Zenit St Petersburg’s Kokorin and Krasnodar’s Mamaev are said to have attacked Russian trade minister Denis Pak in central Moscow on Monday.

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

According to Russian news agency TASS 58, the duo could face up to seven years in jail for the crime of hooliganism.

The court also ordered the detention of Kokorin’s younger brother, Kirill, who will be held for two months.

Both players apologize

Kokorin and Mamaev apologized at the court hearing for their behavior.

"I am ashamed for the fans and the club, and I apologise for my outrageous actions," Kokorin was quoted by TASS as saying.

Mamaev added: "I want to apologise once again publicly to the victims of my scandalous acts. I am ready to make amends for the moral and material damage suffered. I should not have done it."

The court rejected a petition by Kokorin’s lawyer to release the player pending trial.

Both Kokorin and Mamaev also face possible sanctions from their clubs, with Krasnodar looking to end Mamaev’s contract.

"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," Krasnodar stated on Tuesday.

Russian Premier League requests lifetime ban

Russian Premier League chiefs have requested a lifetime ban for both footballers.

"This incident casts a shadow over FC Zenit and FC Krasnodar, but over the whole of Russian football. We believe that those guilty should incur the most severe punishment There is no place for hooligans in football,” the RPL stated.

Kokorin has 48 caps with the Russian national team, missing this year’s World Cup through injury, while Mamaev has 15, with his last international appearance coming in 2016.