Young Zenit St. Petersburg star Aleksey Ionov was detained on Tuesday night for drink driving.
The footballer’s Infiniti was stopped by police on Italyanskaya Street, St. Petersburg, while being driven by an intoxicated woman. Ionov took the wheel of his car, trying to escape while his female companion was in a police car. He was stopped after a short pursuit. Ionov refused to pass a medical examination and used offensive language to police officers.
Ionov with his girlfriend and two other passengers were taken to a police station. He may now face a year of correctional labor and a fine.
This is not the first such incident Ionov has been involved in, said a Zenit press officer. His behavior was described as inappropriate and discrediting the player and the club.
“The club reserves the right unilaterally to break the contract with the player for repeated violations,” the Zenit representative said.
Ionov was put in quarantine at the club’s training base. The player will stay there around the clock, team bosses decided.
Twenty-two-year-old Ionov is a Zenit academy graduate. He has not appeared on the pitch in recent matches, including the latest one against Shakhtar Donetsk on November 1, the night of the incident.