The Croatian international Luka Modric has confirmed before a prosecution that the president of Dinamo Zagreb, Zdravko Manic, illegally appropriated more than 7 million euros in his transfer to English club Tottenham in 2008, sources have revealed today.
Croatian newspaper 'Jutarnji' has today revealed that the central midfielder confirmed before prosecution that the suspected corruption within the club is true. This revolutionary claim by Modric raises serious questions over Mamic, who is considered by many as the real power behind the scenes of Croatian football.
"I was extraordinarily happy to move to a new club, play in the best league in the world and had unlimited confidence in Zdravko Mamc," Modric supposedly said in front of Croatian prosecution, in which he explained that he had signed contractual documents without reading them.
Modric was questioned, according to reports by the Office of fight against corruption and organized crime (USKOK) during his stay in Croatia ahead of the qualifying matches for the European Championship in France.
USKOK opened an investigation in July and his brother Zoran Mamic, the Dinamo coach, is suspected of corruption and tax evasion.
The prosecution believes that the bothers caused damage of 10 million euros to the club and that they took control of at least 7 million.
USKOK suspects that Mamic had created secret contracts, which were separate from the main contract regarding the transfer of Modric to Tottenham, to illegally acquire more than half the money Tottenham paid for the player.
According to this Annex, half of what the English club paid for was not intended for Dinamo but the player himself, an amount to which Modric relinquished in another secret document.
Jutarnji list says Modric confirmed today to prosecutors that he gave the money to Mamic and his family when he was transferred to Tottenham.
"It was what I was instructed to do, I got the money and handed them the cash", he has confirmed Modric.
The prosecution suspects that Mamic took advantage of illegally obtained money through the transfer of at least another two former players of Dinamo club, which is financed by public funds.
The Mamic brothers were arrested in July, but were released after paying bail of 1.5 million euros.