March 29 – UEFA has stepped in to remove Damir Vrbanović from its National Team Competitions Committee after the Croatian was imprisoned for fraud and tax evasion.
Vrbanović, a former Dinamo Zagreb executive and founding board member of the European Club Association, recently lost against an appeal against his conviction and a three-year sentence, according to agency reports.
He was caught up in the same case that saw Dinamo coach Zoran Mamic resign earlier this month after being handed a five-year jail term along with his brother Zdranko in 2018. The Croatian supreme court reduced Mamic’s sentence by three months on appeal but said he has to serve the rest.
Mamic’s brother Zdravko, Dinamo’s former executive director who fled to neighbouring Bosnia when first charged, also had his sentence confirmed by the court as did former tax official Milan Pernar and Vrbanovic.
UEFA also removed former Serbian FA president Slavisa Kozeka from its committee overseeing its 55 European member federations. Kozeka recently resigned after being linked to a fan group with alleged ties to organised crime.
“They are no longer members of their respective UEFA standing committees,” UEFA said of the pair.
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