Corruption charges filed against former Dinamo Zagreb head

Igor Surkis president of Dynamo Kiev, left, shake hands with Croatian midfielder Ognjen Vukojevic from Dynamo Zagreb, center, and president Zdravko Mamic. (Andriy Lukatsky/AP)

ZAGREB, Croatia — Croatia’s anti-graft authorities have filed charges against former Dinamo Zagreb president Zdravko Mamic for tax evasion, corruption and bribery.

The authorities have accused Mamic, his brother Zoran and two other people of embezzling the equivalent of 15 million euros ($17 million) of the club’s money since 2008 and not paying 1.6 million euros ($1.8 million) in state taxes.

Croatian media have said the brothers are also suspected of taking undeclared commission fees from the sale of several Dinamo players to foreign clubs, including former Bayern Munich forward Mario Mandzukic, who now plays for Juventus.

Zdravko Mamic is considered the most powerful person in Croatian soccer. Zoran Mamic is the current Dinamo coach.

The two were detained last year but released on bail. They have denied the charges.

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