October 4 – A Croatian court on Wednesday cleared against Croatia international and FIFA’s world player if the year Luka Modric of giving false testimony in a criminal trial.
Last summer the Real Madrid midfielder let Croatia to the World Cup final against France, uniting but at the same time dividing a nation. Croatian prosecutors had accused him before the World Cup of giving false testimony at the trial of Zdravko Mamic, the former strongman of Dinamo Zagreb, Croatia’s biggest club. When Modric joined Tottenham Hotspur with a 10 million signing-on-fee, he received 1,7 million and the rest went to Mamic.
In March he was charged with perjury, potentially facing a five-year prison sentence. In June Mamic was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison, but he had already fled to Bosnia. Modric became loathed in Croatia, but as the World Cup progressed and Croatia went from strength to strength his image was restored once more.
But his reputation back home may once more be in tatters, following the court’s decision. The court gave no explanation for its ruling, but the state attorney’s office can appeal against the decision.
Modric’s lawyer Laura Valkovic had argued that the charge was premature, according to Reuters. Last month the state attorney also charged another Croatia international Dejan Lovren with the same offence.
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