Football: Zenit use drone to deliver monthly award to Malcom during coronavirus lockdown
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Brazilian forward Malcom, who joined Zenit from Barcelona in August 2019, thanked his Russian club's fans for the March award and then reminded them: "Stay at home, it's important."
PHOTO: YOUTUBE
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(REUTERS) - Social distancing may have stopped players and club officials from meeting in person but Zenit St Petersburg had a novel idea when they delivered their Player of the Month award using a drone.
Brazilian Malcom won nearly 30 per cent of the fan vote to pick up the award for March, after Zenit build a nine-point lead at the top of the Russian Premier League standings before the season was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Russia is in lockdown until April 30 while the league is suspended until May 31, but the club managed to deliver the trophy on Friday (April 10) without the former Barcelona winger having to step out of his apartment.
"I've just received a message that I need to open a window," the 23-year-old said in a video he recorded, while a drone hovered outside his apartment.
It then swooped in through the window, sending a frightened cat scurrying away, before landing on the floor for Malcom to pick up his trophy.
Malcom thanked the fans and ended the video saying: "Stay at home, it's important."
More than 1.6 million people have been infected by the novel coronavirus globally and more than 100,000 have died. Russia has over 13,500 confirmed cases and 106 deaths.
