Russia reeling from players' 'racist' assault

MOSCOW - Russian internationals Pavel Mamaev and Aleksandr Kokorin could face up to five years in prison for assaulting a government official at a Moscow cafe on Monday, in a case that has sparked outrage in Russia.

The assault by the players - both of whom have courted controversy in the past - has prompted the country's interior ministry to open a criminal probe while the Kremlin described the incident as "unpleasant".

On Monday, Krasnodar midfielder Mamaev and Zenit Saint Petersburg forward Kokorin, who has been linked with a move to Manchester United in the past, attacked two Russian trade ministry officials in an upscale Moscow cafe.