Zdravko Mamic. | Photo by Beta

Croatia’s Office for suppression of corruption and organized crime, USKOK, on Wednesday raided the homes and office of the bosses of the Zagreb football club, Dinamo.

They said they suspect the club president, Zdravko Mamic, and manager Zoran Mamic of tax evasion, bribery and other unspecified criminal acts.

Former Dinamo director Damir Vrbanovic and an unidentified member of the tax administration who allegedly helped them evade tax, are also under investigation.

The two Mamic brothers and Vrbanovic are being investigated over criminal charges filed by the finance ministry and USKOK. They are accused of using the famous football club to evade paying taxes and committing other crimes.

The Mamic brothers are currently out of the country at a football camp in Slovenia. USKOK said they faced arrest once they return.

Interior minister Ranko Ostojic said the Mamic brothers should respond to the call for interrogation by the police as soon as possible, otherwise Croatia will file a European arrest warrant against them.

After the raids, the Mamic brothers published a formal response on the club’s website, proclaiming their innocence.

They called the charges “absolutely meaningless and constructed” and said they were confident they could prove the legality of their actions.

“We are sure that we have not and never will defile the holy name of Dinamo, or ourselves personally, or our families,” the statement concluded.

Zoran Mamic. | Photo by Beta

Zdravko Mamic, executive president of Dinamo for more than 12 years is a controversial figure.

In statements and appearances he has often insulted other public figures, ethnic and sexual minority groups and journalists.

In November 2010, he said homosexuals had no place in football as they were better suited to being ballet dancers, artists, scriptwriters and journalists.

A gay rights organization sued him for discrimination but Croatia’s supreme court acquitted him of the charges in November 2012.

Mamic also insulted the former science, education and sports minister, Zeljko Jovanovic, in March 2013 about his Serbian ethnic background.

“Jovanovic is a man who hates everything Croatian; a man who is a Serb cannot take the most important job in the Republic of Croatia. It is an insult to the Croatian brain; he a Croat-hater,” he said.

The state attorney’s office indicted him for public incitement to violence and hatred in June 2013 but the Zagreb county court acquitted him in December 2013.

He has routinely threatened journalists, telling one that he would “disappear into the darkness”, while threatening another with physical violence.

He has also had a series of physical conflicts at different stadiums and other public places with fans, football officials, policemen and others.

Although Dinamo dominates the Croatian championship, having won for ten years in a row, he is also not that popular with Dinamo’s supporters, the Bad Blue Boys.

They have taken their revenge on him either by boycotting matches or by apparently trying to get the club kicked out of European leagues by causing problems at stadiums across Europe.

Mamic has long been accused of corruption, with sport journalists claiming that he takes huge cuts from lucrative transfers.