MOSCOW, September 15 (RAPSI) – The defense of arbiter Nikita Danchenko assaulted by ex-player of the Russian national football team Roman Shirokov is to move for the initiation of a criminal case over attempted murder, lawyer Alexander Ostrovsky informs RAPSI on Tuesday.

Although no official information on the criminal case opened against the ex-footballer is available yet, as far as we know the charges are intended slight bodily harm; the defense intends to file a challenge against this decision with prosecutors and demand attempted murder charges to be brought, the lawyer says.

On August 10, Shirokov attacked Danchenko during an amateur football match; a video record of the incident has been disseminated via social media.