Zenit St. Petersburg, the captain of which is Ukrainian Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, beat Spartak Moscow 3-1 on Saturday, taking fifth place in the Russian Premier League with 48 points, and winning a chance to play in the 2009/2010 Europa League, the current UEFA Cup.

However, there was a traditional fly in the ointment. Zenit captain Anatoliy Tymoshchuk appeared in the center of scandal.

Видео дня
Анатолій Тимощук
After the match, Tymoshchuk approached the guest sector to thank Zenit fans for their support. By preliminary data, there were almost 7 thousand people, who gave a fantastic support to the team. To thank them, Tymoshchuk wanted to throw his T-short into the fans sector, however, he was suddenly attacked by OMON [special police subdivision] employees, who pulled the Ukrainian off the tribunes and tried to twist his arms. Fellow players and Zenit fans rushed to help the captain and began to throw seats into policemen. As a result, Anatoliy was discharged, but policemen retrieved their losses.  Moscow police detained over 170 people after the match, a local police spokesman said.

Most probably, this match may become the last in the Russian championship for Tymoshchuk - rumors are rife that in the new season he will defend colors of a European club.