Denmark striker Bendtner charged over attack on taxi driver
Denmark striker Nicklas Bendtner has been charged with violence after an incident last month with a Copenhagen taxi driver, the driver's lawyer said on Thursday.
Bendtner, who plays for Norwegian side Rosenborg, was arrested in September after being reported to the police by a taxi driver. He was released while the driver underwent surgery for a broken jaw.
The driver has been charged with throwing an unknown object towards Bendtner and his girlfriend without hitting them but he is protesting his innocence, the driver's lawyer Mette Grith Stage told Reuters.
Bendtner's lawyer Anders Németh was not immediately available to comment but he has previously said the player denies the charges.
Bendtner, 30, played for Premier League club Arsenal from 2005-14 and has represented Denmark 81 times, although his career has been littered with media reports of drink-fuelled escapades,
He missed out on selection for this year's World Cup due to injury.
Russia players detained by police over attacks
Russian police said on Wednesday they had opened a criminal investigation and detained Russia internationals Alexander Kokorin and Pavel Mamayev, who are accused of carrying out violent attacks in central Moscow.
The attacks, allegedly perpetrated by Zenit St Petersburg forward Kokorin and Krasnodar midfielder Mamayev on Monday, were captured on CCTV and prompted widespread outrage among ordinary Russians as well as reaction from the Kremlin.
Footage, which has been circulated widely by the Russian media, shows a man being kicked and punched in the street by a group of people said to include the two footballers and another incident in which two civil servants appeared to be assaulted in a cafe.
Mamayev and Kokorin have declined to comment on the issue so far.
The two players were summoned by police for questioning on Wednesday and told that if they did not appear then nationwide search warrants would be issued.
Police said both players had turned up and had been detained over charges of hooliganism, which carries a maximum jail sentence of seven years. Police did not comment on the length of the detention period.
Kokorin has 48 caps for Russia but missed this year's World Cup with a knee injury. Mamayev has represented the national team 15 times.
The two men also face possible sanctions from their clubs.
"We absolutely condemn the actions of those involved, it has caused outrage within our club and we are waiting for a legal assessment from the relevant authorities, but from a personal point of view, such behaviour is truly shocking," Zenit, where Kokorin plays, said.
"We are now considering what punishment the club will take against the player... the club and supporters are disappointed that one of the country's most talented footballers has behaved in such a manner."
Krasnodar condemned Mamayev's behaviour and said it was exploring ways to terminate his contract.
