Zdravko Mamic is considered the most powerful man in Croatian football, but now he will have to spend four and a half years behind bars. Today he was sentenced for corruption.
Mamic is convicted of embezzling millions following transfers of Zagreb's "Dinamo" players when he was still the club's executive director.
Just last night, fearing an unfavorable outcome, this official fled to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Interestingly, Mamic operated not only at the "Dinamo" club, but was also vice-president of the Croatian Football Federation. Taking advantage of his status, he along with other accomplices earned huge sums and evaded taxes from the state.
The operation of Mamic's scheme was outlined during the "BBC World Service" program "Sport Today". While serving as club director, he would agree with young players who had not yet made it to the first team to become their agents. When these players later moved to stronger European clubs, half of the transfer fee was paid to the footballers, who then handed over the money to Mamic.
In total, he is accused of earning as much as 15.7 million euros, with players such as Luka Modric and Dejan Lovren testifying in court. Both recently competed in the UEFA Champions League final.
Real Madrid defender, Luka, is also accused of breaking his oath to the court and providing false testimony, while the situation regarding the Liverpool defender is still under investigation.
However, the harshest fate befell Mamic, who was first detained back in 2015. Today, his brother Zoran, former Dinamo director Damir Vrbanovic, and tax inspector Milan Pernar were also sentenced to prison.
Many long-time fans will be particularly pleased with the court's decision, as Dinamo should generally not be profit-oriented and controlled by individuals. In "honour" of Mamic, flares were already being thrown onto the field during Croatia's matches at the European Championship.
