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The Matvei Michkov Dubai Crash Story is a Wild One, if You Believe the Russians
By Kyle Pagan
Published:
So Matvei Michkov was involved in a car crash in Dubai. Here’s what we know from Alexey Shevchenko of Sport Express (some Russian newspaper), and confirmation by Flyers reporter Jackie Spiegel, who says Michkov was okay and not driving the car:
Will someone on the Flyers introduce Michkov to Sea Isle ? Because the last thing we need is the franchise getting injured halfway around the world. Thank god the prodigal son is safe and okay… I think. Because if he wasn’t driving, does that mean he was in the passenger seat? I don’t know what the Flyers team source means by “okay” when Michkov’s DNA is all over the windshield, but I guess you can’t be a true Flyers franchise player until you experience a little head trauma.
This is where the story takes a turn, and take this with a grain of salt because this is Russian reporting, but apparently the owners of the car rental service are holding Michkov’s passport and extorted $100k from him to keep the story from reaching the papers. There’s also a report that Michkov hired lawyers and now the car service will be charged with blackmail, extortion, and money laundering. It’s all a shit show. Who knows what lies and deceit either country is spinning about our Russian Prince. Also, good luck clicking on the article. Be ready for your computer to be infected with something worse than anything Chernobyl could produce. Here are the translated details via MatchTV.ru:
Russian Philadelphia forward Matvey Michkov became a victim of an incident with a car service in the UAE. The hockey player’s passport was taken away and a significant amount of dollars was extorted. The story began several days ago.
Michkov asked his lawyer to make a special statement for Match TV.
— The situation looks like this. Matvey and his friend rented a car. And there was a traffic accident. Michkov was in the passenger seat, and the driver was sober. Matvey was not tested for alcohol, and he did not drink anything either. From the point of view of UAE laws, there are no questions about him. He did not commit any violations on the territory of the Emirates. He is absolutely clean before the local legislation.
Moreover, the owners of the car rental service are illegally holding the passports of two citizens of the Russian Federation. And this is a crime under the laws of the UAE. Moreover, the owners of the service extorted about 100 thousand dollars from Matvey so that information about him would not be distributed to the media. There is evidence in the form of screenshots of correspondence that the owner of the car rental company sent to Matvey. There are also witnesses who have already confirmed this.
Matvey contacted a local lawyer’s office because his passport was illegally confiscated. The case has now been transferred to the Dubai Public Prosecutor’s Office. The individuals in question may be charged with “extortion,” “blackmail,” and “money laundering.” The latter is due to the fact that the car owners even incorrectly registered the car rental, not including the tax.
Matvey’s lawyers have initiated the relevant applications. All actions are currently being taken to notify the Dubai Department of Economy – this is the body that issues the license to the car rental company. We will protect the rights of our client.
Matvey’s lawyers have initiated the relevant applications. All actions are currently being taken to notify the Dubai Department of Economy – this is the body that issues the license to the car rental company. We will protect the rights of our client.
In addition, it is strange to assume that a country like the UAE, where legislation and human rights are above all else, could theoretically allow the escape of an offender who allegedly committed a crime. It is also surprising that false information based on someone’s assumptions, which are not confirmed by official sources – UAE law enforcement agencies – began to spread on social networks. This discredits Matvey’s honor, dignity and business reputation, – lawyer Shuk al-Kathiri, representing Michkov’s interests, told Match TV.
The funniest part in that story is that the Russian reporter says in “UAE human rights are above all else”. If human rights in the UAE are the cream of the crop, then Michkov’s buddy driving that car is Jeff Gordon. So there you have it. We’ll update on this story when we have a report from a source we’ve actually heard of.
Kyle writes blog posts and does Man on the Street-style videos all around Philadelphia. He graduated from Temple University (a basketball school) in 2015. contact: k.pagan@sportradar.com