Zoran blames footy hooligans for attempt on brother’s life
Former Dinamo director Zdravko was shot in the thigh in Bosnia on Monday
Dubai: Al Ain coach Zoran Mamic has blamed Croatian football hooligans for his brother Zdravko’s attempted assassination in Bosnia earlier this week.
Zdravko, 58, a former director of Croatia’s Dinamo Zagreb, was shot in the thigh by unidentified gunmen during a visit to his father’s grave in the Tomislavgrad on Monday.
He was taken to a local hospital in Bosnia and later discharged himself, returning to the Croatian capital Zagreb after doctors stemmed the bleeding. His condition is not thought to be life threatening.
Zoran, 45, told the Croatian press: “I’m pretty sure that the attackers are hooligans, those football fans who are not really fans but just hooligans. I do not see any other possibility, but I hope the police will find them so that we can see who they are and what they are.
“This was an attempted murder not an attempt to just scare him. I was shocked but at the same time happy, because my brother was lucky to survive this murder attempt.
“It is not only my brother who might have been a victim of this work. There were others around him who were almost shot. I hope that he recovers as soon as possible.”
Zoran, a former player and coach of Dinamo, and Zdravko, a former chairman, are on trial, along with two others, for allegedly embezzling €15 million (Dh65 million) of the club’s money since 2008 and not paying €1.6 million in taxes.
Zdravko remains an advisor at the club and is still considered the most powerful man in Croatian football despite the charges.
Dinamo released a statement after the shooting, saying the “attempted murder” was no surprise considering the “lynching campaign” being made against him by Croatian media.
He was recently knocked off his yacht into the sea by an attacker believed to be a fan of rival club Hajduk Split.
Zoran was in the UAE at the time of the shooting preparing for Al Ain’s Asian Champions League quarter-final first leg at home against Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal, which ended in a goalless draw on Tuesday. The return leg is on September 11 in Riyadh.
Zoran was appointed coach of the UAE club in January and is looking to make up for the fact his team finished without silverware last season with an extended run in Asia this year.
