Croatia charges Real's Modric with false testimony

Croatia's state attorney has charged Croatia international and Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric with giving false testimony in a criminal trial, the attorney's office in the eastern city of Osijek said Friday. The statement did not name Modric, as is a standard practice in Croatia, but said it charged a 32-year old Croatian citizen, citing details from his testimony. Croatian media including state television reported that Modric was charged. Modric testified last year at the trial of a tax official and three former senior officials from the football club Dinamo Zagreb, including its former chief executive Zdravko Mamic, about the dates of signing the annexes to his professional contracts which regulated transfer fees.

Luka Modric has been charged with giving false testimony during Zdravko Mamic’s corruption trial in 2017 pic.twitter.com/9nfn7iAS3N

— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 2, 2018

The state attorney's office said last June it was investigating Modric for an alleged false testimony. Modric testified as a witness at the trial of tax and Dinamo officials on charges that they avoided paying 12.2m kuna ($2.02m) in taxes and diverted 116m kuna from the soccer club.. Modric moved to Tottenham Hotspur from Dinamo in 2008. He joined Real in 2012.

Croatian authorities have charged the captain of the national football team, Luka Modric, with perjury. More here: https://t.co/csWLIbI836 pic.twitter.com/XAdjqwrnWZ

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) March 3, 2018

Modric could not immediately be reached for comment. Asked for comment, a Real spokesperson said: "Our official comments are made through our official media channels." If convicted, Modric would face a jail term of between six months and five years.