Zdravko Mamić

Zdravko Mamić (born 16 July 1959) is a Croatian-Bosnian former football administrator and sports agent. From 2003 to 2016, he was the executive director of Croatian football club GNK Dinamo Zagreb.

Zdravko Mamić
Mamić in February 2021
Born (1959-07-16) 16 July 1959
Bjelovar, PR Croatia, FPR Yugoslavia
Citizenship
Occupation(s)Football administrator, sports agent
Years active2003–present
Known forFormer executive director of GNK Dinamo Zagreb

Mamić also worked as an advisor at NK Lokomotiva and later, between 2016 and 2021, at Dinamo Zagreb. In 2018, he was found guilty of tax fraud in Croatia at which point, in order to avoid going to prison, he fled to neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina where he's been living as a fugitive from justice ever since.

Early life

Mamić was born in Bjelovar, PR Croatia, FPR Yugoslavia on 16 July 1959 to Herzegovinian Croat parents Josip (1929-2003) and Lucija Mamić, originally from the Herzegovina villages of Zidine and Bukova Gora, respectively. They had moved to the PR Croatia federal unit within FPR Yugoslavia in 1956 in search of expanded employment opportunities. Mamić has two siblings, both of whom would go on to become professional footballers: older brother Stojko (born 1957) and younger brother Zoran (1971).[1]

In the 1970s, with his two brothers (older Stojan and younger Zoran), teenage Zdravko moved from Bjelovar to the Zagreb suburb of Sesvete while their father was off working in West Germany as part of the gastarbeiter programme.

Football executive career

Mamić's first direct contact with GNK Dinamo Zagreb was through the Bad Blue Boys, Dinamo's ultras supporters group.

In the 1980s, Mamić befriended the then-manager of Dinamo, Miroslav Blažević, and made his way into Dinamo. In February 2016, he resigned as executive director, but returned as an advisor. On 16 March 2021, he resigned from all positions at the club.[2]

Trial

In 2009, Mamić was sued by Eduardo da Silva for unfavorable contract according to which had to pay 50% of salary for the entirety of the career to Mamić's family. Silva won the case in 2014.[3][4]

On 18 November 2015, Mamić along with five other people was arrested over transfer irregularities in Dinamo Zagreb. He was suspected of tax evasion and bribery.[5]

On 6 June 2018, Mamić was sentenced on first instance to six and a half years prison for transfer fraud relating to Luka Modrić and Dejan Lovren's transfer to Tottenham Hotspur and Olympique Lyonnais respectively.[6] Mamić, his brother Zoran, former Dinamo director Damir Vrbanović and tax official Milan Pernar, were all found guilty of siphoning over €15 million from Dinamo and defrauding the state budget over €1.2 million in unpaid taxes. Mamić, who had crossed the border into Bosnia and Herzegovina one day earlier, did not attend the sentencing and stated that he would not return to Croatia.[7]

The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina refused to extradite Mamić since he also holds Bosnian citizenship.[8] The Supreme Court of Croatia confirmed Mamić's sentence on 15 March 2021.[9]

Controversy

Mamić has become well known for his hostile behaviour towards journalists, including a number of public incidents punctuated by threats of violence and profanities of personal and professional nature.[10][11][12][13]

In December 2011, a small group of Bad Blue Boys entered a press conference, confronting Mamić with his 'mismanagement of Dinamo Zagreb'.[14][15] While in function as the chairman of Dinamo, Mamić has been detained by police.[16] During his thirteen year reign at Dinamo Zagreb from 2003 to 2016, he appointed 15 different managers. On 15 March 2013, he was arrested after a verbal attack on Croatian Minister of Sports, Science and Education Željko Jovanović on a radio show.

During the Croatian War of Independence, Mamić participated in the privatisation of Česma Wood Industry from Bjelovar.[17] In 2000 it was determined that the suspicious operations in the company caused 14 million HRK damage to the State budget,[18] while the number of workers was halved.[19]

Personal

Assassination attempt

On 22 August 2017, Mamić sustained a leg wound in an assassination attempt via ambush by two masked perpetrators who opened fire while he was exiting his vehicle during his annual visit to the village of Zidine near Tomislavgrad in Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the anniversary of his father Josip's death.[20]

References
  1. "Zdravko Mamić" (in Croatian). vecernji.hr. 1 December 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  2. "Mamić podnio ostavku na sve funkcije u Dinamu: "Dinamo možda neće postojati za nekoliko mjeseci!"". Gol.hr (in Croatian). 16 March 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  3. Sven Milekic (15 October 2015). "Dinamo Boss Turns Croatian Fans off Football". Balkan Insight. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  4. Kevin Palmer (4 July 2018). "'The stench of death that was never far away' - Luka Modric's brutal childhood makes his rise to the top all the more remarkable". Irish Independent. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  5. Dinamo Zagreb's Zdravko Mamic arrested over transfer irregularities
  6. "Zdravko Mamić Sentenced to 6.5 Years in Prison for Modrić-Lovren Transfer Fraud". Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  7. "Mamić Responds to Croatian Prison Sentence from Medjugorje: "I'm Surprised, But I Feel Good"". Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  8. Vedran Pavlić (15 June 2018). "Bosnian Court Refuses to Extradite Zdravko Mamić to Croatia". total-croatia-news.com. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  9. "Dinamo Zagreb boss Zoran Mamic quits after jail term for fraud confirmed". BBC. 15 March 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  10. Mamić govori istinu osim kada... ne govori istinu | tportal.hr
  11. Zdravko Mamic's being asked about his conflict of interest – YouTube
  12. Zdravko Mamić: "Je.. ti Joca Amsterdam mater!" – YouTube
  13. YouTube
  14. BBB upali na presicu i napali Mamića! – YouTube
  15. Dinamo Zagreb president attacked and threatened – Monsters and Critics
  16. Dinamo Zagreb director arrested after allegedly brawling with police
  17. Zdravko Mamić – američki san na hrvatski način
  18. Mamiću, gdje si bio '91.? U privatizaciji, ali ne i u ratu
  19. Izvješće o obavljenoj reviziji pretvorbe i privatizacije - Drvna industrija Česma, Bjelovar
  20. "Controversial former Dinamo Zagreb chief Zdravko Mamic wounded in 'assassination attempt'". mirror.co.uk. 22 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
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