Andrei Mostovoy urges nuanced suspensions for players in the Russian Cup melee
Zenit midfielder Andrei Mostovoy weighs in on the fallout from the Russian Cup clash against Spartak, arguing that suspensions should reflect the level of each player’s involvement rather than applying a uniform punishment. He notes that while several teammates engaged in the altercation, the degree of participation varied significantly from one player to another.
According to Mostovoy, Barrios initially pressed the incident by knocking on the door, then charged in with others and began striking. He questions why such a rowdy moment would merit a six-match ban for one player, suggesting that different sanctions would better match the respective roles in the scuffle. Nicholson and Rodrigo reportedly fought vigorously, receiving more severe penalties, while others appeared less involved. Malcolm, in his view, should be judged in relation to his actual involvement rather than painted with the same stroke as everyone else. The focus, he implies, should be on the height of each participant’s involvement rather than applying a blanket sanction. This perspective was shared during a discussion on Match TV.
The incident occurred immediately after the end of regular time in the group-stage finale between Zenit and Spartak, when a mass confrontation erupted on the field involving players from both sides. The fracas began with the whistle from Zenit’s Wilmar Barrios and Spartak forward Quincy Promes setting the spark for the melee.
Referee Vladimir Moskalev immediately sent off six players: Malcolm, Rodrigao, Barrios, Sobolev, Nicholson and Selikhov. All six received suspensions of six matches. The episode has sparked ongoing debate about disciplinary consistency and whether the punishments should scale with the level of involvement rather than applying a single penalty to all participants.
Earlier reports noted a separate incident in a match between Bulgarian club Beroe and Rubin, where the referee expelled two players for involvement in a separate conflict, underscoring the broader challenges referees face in handling on-field altercations across different leagues.