Belgian Nicolas Lomberts said that once in St. Petersburg, following he drank a glass of wine, he was stopped by a policeman who at first demanded 60 thousand, but managed to agree on a smaller amount.
Photo: Petr Kovalev / TASS
Former defender of “Zenith” Belgian Nicolas Lomberts told Sport24 once gave a bribe to a traffic police officer in Russia.
“Because of football, I have never had a fine. But I remember once in St. Petersburg a policeman stopped me. It was at the beginning of my career at Zenit. I drank one glass. And he apparently smelled that I was drinking something, ”said Lomberts.
According to him, the policeman told him to “blow into the tube”, and, according to the player, he held it a meter away from his face. “I blew, and he: ha! 2.5 ppm. What the hell? I drank one glass! And he: no, you have to pay! He asked for 60 thousand rubles! I answer: are you crazy? Take me to jail. Okay, okay, let’s do less. They agreed, it seems, at 20 thousand, ”added Lomberts.
After that, Lomberts told the policeman that he now had to bring him home. “Because maybe your friend is around the corner, and I will have to pay once more,” the football player concluded.
Lomberts played for Zenit from 2007 to 2017. Together with the team, he won four Russian championships, two Cups and four Russian Super Cups, the UEFA Cup and Super Cup.
