July 6 – Two senior officials with Dinamo Zagreb, Croatia’s leading club, have been arrested on suspicion of embezzlement and tax evasion.
Chairman Zdravko Mamic (pictured left), regarded as one of the most powerful figures in Croatian football, and his brother Zoran (pictured right), the club’s coach, were held after returning from the club’s summer camp. The brothers insist they are innocent but police say the alleged fraud has cost the club $17.3 million since 2008.
According to Croatian and German media reports, the brothers are accused of taking a cut of the sales of Dinamo Zagreb players.
A statement on the club’s website said made it clear where loyalties lay.
“Dinamo’s entire staff, the squad and all of the club’s employees fully back them as we are convinced they will prove that they are innocent,” it said.
Dinamo, the most successful club in Croatia, were preparing for the new season when the brothers were arrested as they crossed the border into Croatia from Slovenia.
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