ST.PETERSBURG, November 2 - RAPSI. The St. Petersburg Magistrates Court has fined a renowned football player $65 for defiance to police when he was detained for drunk driving last night, a source in the St. Petersburg police told RIA Novosti.

"The court fined FC Zenit player Alexei Ionov 2,000 rubles for defiance to police. He has likely already been released from the police station," the source said.

The police earlier said it might open a criminal case against Ionov.

Police stopped Ionov's Infiniti on Wednesday morning at 03.40 a.m. Moscow time in the center of St. Petersburg. The car was driven by a drunk woman, and Ionov sat in the passenger-side seat.

The football player then tried to escape when the police officers took the woman to their car to draw up a protocol.

According to the officers and witnesses, Ionov was also drunk, he insulted and quarreled with the police officers.

The police held Ionov responsible for drunk driving.