Manchester City full-back Oleksandr Zinchenko kissed a reporter live on television after guiding Ukraine to a 5-0 victory over Serbia in their Euro 2020 qualifier on Friday.
The 22-year-old, who made 29 appearances in all competitions for the Premier League champions last season, kissed Vlada Sedan on the cheek before smiling down the lens of the camera.
There was an initial outrage over Zinchenko’s action, which came in the wake of Bulgarian heavyweight boxer Kubrat Pulev kissing a female reporter during a post-fight interview and subsequently being fined, banned and ordered to take sexual harassment prevention classes.
However, some people have defended Zinchenko, claiming he and Sedan are “close friends” and have been pictured together on a number of occasions.
Zinchenko, who played in central midfield for Ukraine, successfully managed to usurp Benjamin Mendy towards the end of City’s season and is said to be in line for a new contract.
There has though been widespread speculation that City are in the market for a new left-back, with Leicester’s Ben Chilwell being one of Pep Guardiola’s preferred options.
City were prepared to sell Zinchenko last summer and agreed a £16m fee with Wolves before the former Ufa full-back opted against a move to Molineux.
