Former Croatian FIFA Referee Jailed for Bribery
- by croatiaweek
- in Sport
A court in Zagreb on Tuesday has sentenced former Croatian Football Federation Vice President and international referee Željko Širić to four years in prison after he was found guilty of taking a bribe…
Širić (53), who earned his FIFA badge as an international referee in 1996 and officiated in 2 UEFA Champions League matches in the early 2000’s, was charged with taking a 30,000 euro bribe for ‘fair refereeing’ whilst he held the position as the head of the Croatian Referees Commission. Širić was arrested in 2011 after a conversation with former Hajduk Split President Hrvoje Maleš. The court found Širić guilty of asking the Hajduk President for a bribe in return for ‘fair refereeing’ for Hajduk Split after Maleš had secretly recorded the conversation, reported daily 24sata.
Širić has also been banned from working in Croatia football for 8 years.
