Friday 2 March 2018 18:03, UK
Croatian prosecutors have filed perjury charges against Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric for his testimony about financial deals with a former Dinamo Zagreb director.
Prosecutors in Osijek said the 32-year-old told the court in June he had a deal with former Dinamo director Zdravko Mamic to pay the club 50 per cent of the £19m (€26m) contract with Tottenham.
Mamic stands charged with embezzlement and tax fraud for taking an unspecified chunk without declaring it to tax authorities.
Prosecutors claim there was no legal contract between Modric and Mamic and that their private deal was backdated after the player had already been sold to the London club.
If charged and found guilty, Modric could face up to five years in prison.
The Croatian soccer federation said in a statement that it stands by the captain of the national team "because we believe that in this process he will prove his innocence as well as groundlessness of the charges."
Prosecutors have accused Mamic, his brother and two others of embezzling €15m of the club's money since 2008 on different player transfer deals from Dinamo to foreign clubs, and not paying €1.6m in taxes.
Mamic is considered the most powerful person in Croatian football with substantial political influence. The country has a strong national team but struggles at club level.
The trial is seen as a test of Croatian judiciary in the face of widespread corruption.
