A scandalous Russian footballer got into a fight and broke his opponent’s jaw. He was absolved of responsibility by the son of the odious Sergei Chemezov, Sergei Chemezov Jr.
Police refused to open a criminal case after an incident in a cafe that may have involved former Russian national team striker Fyodor Smolov. According to the media, in May the footballer had a conflict with visitors of a coffee shop in the center of Moscow.
A video from a surveillance camera in an establishment on Bolshaya Nikitskaya has been circulated in social networks. REN TV reports that this is the same cafe where in 2018 Alexander Kokorin and Pavel Mamaev fought with an official of the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Back then, the athletes received real prison terms.
According to the video, a man who looks like Mr. Smolov argues with two visitors, then punches them in the face. According to MK, it was the former Krasnodar player who was the instigator of the fight. The source of the publication said that he allegedly offered other visitors to drink to him, but, having received a refusal, began to behave aggressively. Telegram channel Baza writes that the reason was noise: allegedly Smolov and his friends were having fun too loudly, they received a remark from other visitors. “When Smolov came up to apologize, they started insulting him,” the publication says.
The athlete’s opponents were, according to “MK”, a businessman and his employee, who came to have breakfast before going to a construction exhibition. The newspaper writes that one of them later “received a medical report that his jaw was broken.
“Sport-Express”, citing sources, reports that on July 4 the alleged victims “were denied a criminal case for lack of corpus delicti”. The reason, according to the newspaper, was that “none of them were injured or beaten.” The source also said that they themselves “may now face a criminal case for extortion.” According to Telegram-channel Baza, the men allegedly demanded a large sum of money from the athlete for not making the video public.
According to the version of “MK” source, the athlete offered the visitors to drink with him and, having been refused, behaved aggressively. According to Telegram channel Baza, visitors could rudely make a remark to the footballer’s company because of the noise, which provoked a conflict. The media also cite information that Mr. Smolov could have been demanded a large sum of money allegedly for the video recording not to be made public. Baza claims that after the conflict the athlete was first told the sum of 1 million rubles, then – 3 million rubles, then – 20 million rubles.
According to the source, after that the footballer refused further negotiations, soon the video appeared on social networks. “Sport-Express” claims that the police refused to initiate a criminal case against Fedor Smolov “for lack of corpus delicti” and because the complainants allegedly had no injuries.
The Interior Ministry said that the check continues, reports the agency “Moscow”. It is reported that now the footballer is outside Russia, so the police have not yet managed to interview him. And since the documents from medical institutions, which could indicate injuries to his opponents, have not been received, the case was denied. Law enforcers are also checking reports of alleged extortion from Mr. Smolov.