Dinamo Zagreb boss Zoran Mamic quits after jail term for fraud confirmed

Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2021 by BBC.com

Zoran Mamic was in his second spell in charge of Dinamo Zagreb, having taken over last year

Zoran Mamic has resigned as Dinamo Zagreb boss after his prison sentence for fraud was confirmed by Croatia's supreme court.

Tottenham face Dinamo Zagreb in the second leg of their Europa League last-16 tie in Croatia on Thursday.

Mamic, 49, was given a jail term along with brother Zdravko in 2018 in Osijek.

Croatia's supreme court reduced Mamic's sentence by three months but said he has to serve four years and eight months in prison.

"Although I don't feel guilty, I resign as I said before I would do if the sentence was confirmed," Mamic said in a statement on the Dinamo Zagreb website.

"I wish all the good luck to the club."

Spurs lead the Croatian club 2-0 on aggregate.

Mamic's brother Zdravko - the former Croatian Football Federation vice-president, who fled to neighbouring Bosnia-Herzegovina on the eve of sentencing in 2018 - also had his six-and-a-half year prison sentence confirmed by the supreme court on Monday.

In addition, the supreme court confirmed jail terms for former club director Damir Vrbanovic and tax inspector Milan Pernar.

Vrbanovic, Pernar and the Mamic brothers were charged with embezzling 116m kuna (£13m) from Dinamo by siphoning off money from transfer fees and tax evasion worth 12.2m kuna (£1.38m).

Croatia and Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric, 35, had been caught up in the case before the court dropped a charge of perjury against the national team captain in October 2018.

Modric joined Tottenham from Dinamo Zagreb in 2008.

Following Zoran Mamic's resignation, the club announced that both of his former roles as head coach and sports director will be taken over by Damir Krznar.