Dinamo Boss Turns Croatian Fans off Football

Croatia's footballers beat Malta on Tuesday and qualified for the Euro 2016 tournament finals in France, but some fans and media have not been sharing in the sporting enthusiasm - instead, they have been boycotting the team.

The discontent even led to the Croatian Football Association, HNS, banning the country's fans from travelling to Malta for fear of potential unrest or public protests.

The boycott was sparked by longterm discontent about how football is run by the HNS in Croatia and about the allegedly malign influence of one powerful man: Zdravko Mamic.

Mamic, the president of Dinamo Zagreb, is an ever-present figure in Croatian football. Heading Dinamo for over 12 years, he was the main figure behind the awarding of the position of HNS president to former star striker Davor Suker.

Dinamo's hardcore fans, known as the Bad Blue Boys, have been boycotting the club for years, insisting that Mamic steps down because of alleged corruption and his authoritarian style of management.

Rumours that he forced unfavourable contracts on players, according to which they allegedly give him 25 per cent of their salaries until their careers ended, grew after the player Eduardo da Silva sued Mamic in 2009. Silva won the case in January 2014, with the judge voiding the contract.

Finally Mamic and his brother Zoran, Dinamo's manager, were arrested on suspicion of corrupt activities in July. They were later released, but the investigation is ongoing.

One of the media advocating the boycott of the national team is news portal Index, which has started a Facebook page entitled "Boycott! - Against the Privatisation of the National Football Team" - a reference to the seemingly omnipotent role played by Mamic in the national team.

Index...