The players of the Yaroslavl club “Shinnik” are not the initiators of a fight in a Turkish hotel with the players of the Ukrainian “Minaj”. This position was voiced by the management of the sports club on February 14 on the official page of the FC in the social network VKontakte.
“Shinnik Football Club officially declares that it is not the initiator of this conflict. Our players acted like a real team, standing up for their teammate, who was attacked, ”the club’s official press release states.
It is noted that during the fight, the Russian athletes did not receive serious injuries, and the club’s management decided to move to another hotel in order to avoid further conflict.
“We consider unacceptable and condemn any form of violence and will defend not only the interests of the club, but also the interests of our country. Law enforcement agencies are investigating the situation,” the club’s management emphasized.
Shinnik plays in the Russian First League, while the Ukrainian Mynay, which bears the name of the village of the same name in the Transcarpathian region, plays in the Ukrainian Premier League.
On February 13, at the Turkish Royal Seginus hotel in Antalya, a fight broke out between players from the Russian Shinnik and the Ukrainian Minai. In the video of the incident, you can see how a member of one of the teams approaches a player from another club and hits him.
The Russian Consulate General in Antalya stressed that the fight was started because of the inadequate behavior of Ukrainian athletes. A member of the diplomatic mission arrived at the scene.
The conflict was eventually recognized as settled, since its participants on both sides did not put forward claims against each other. The consulate added that the injured Russian athletes did not need medical assistance.
