Luka Modrić and Dejan Lovren indicted for giving false testimonies, HNS gives full support
- by croatiaweek
- in Sport
Luka Modrić and Dejan Lovren (Photo credit: Светлана Бекетова/ soccer.ru/CC BY-SA 3.0)
The County State Attorney’s Office in the Croatian city of Osijek on Thursday filed indictments against the captain of the national football team, Luka Modrić, as well as former international Dejan Lovren.
The pair have been charged under Article 305, paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code/11 for giving false testimonies at the first trial of Zdravko Mamić and others back in 2017.
The trial in question centred around accusations of tax evasion and embezzlement involving high-ranking officials from Dinamo Zagreb.
The allegations pertained to the transfers of Modrić to Tottenham Hotspur and Lovren to Lyon.
Both Modrić and Lovren faced similar accusations in 2017 and 2018, which ultimately did not lead to any consequences.
The Croatian Football Federation is standing behind both Modrić and Lovren.
“The Croatian Football Federation fully respects the independence of the judiciary and expects them to act with equal fairness towards all citizens of the Republic of Croatia, regardless of their names and surnames. As the winners of silver and bronze medals at the FIFA World Cup, both as players and leaders who have brought glory to Croatian football and the country, Luka Modrić and Dejan Lovren do not deserve special treatment from the Croatian judicial system. However, they deserve fair and equal treatment, as well as legal security.
Therefore, the Croatian Football Federation extends its full support to Luka Modrić and Dejan Lovren, and we will be available to assist these two legendary Vatreni players throughout the process,” the statement read.
