Zenit St. Petersburg have announced they have demoted Aleksandr Kokorin following an incident in a Monte Carlo bar following Russia’s exit from Euro 2016 last month.
Kokorin reportedly spent €250,000 on champagne in a Monte Carlo bar along with fellow Russia international and FC Krasnodar midfielder Pavel Mamaev.
Arsenal have been regularly linked with a move for the striker since the start of last season and the 25-year-old will now have to play his football for Zenit-2.
“Unfortunately, some Russian players can find themselves in these scandalous situations due to a lack of common sense and culture norms in their behaviour in public places,” a statement read on Zenit’s website.
“We have conducted our own investigation into this episode and it has given the entirety of Russian football damage to its reputation. Therefore the club have decided to move Aleksandr Kokorin to Zenit-2 and impose on him a substantial monetary fine.”
Kokorin only started three games in the Russian Premier League last season and finished as Zenit’s second lowest rated outfielder from those to start at least one game (6.59).
For more stats on Aleksandr Kokorin, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
