Luka Modric, star of Real Madrid, accused of false testimony in Croatia

The star of Real Madrid, Luka Modric, was accused of false testimony on Friday in Croatia as part of an investigation into corruption in the country's football, announced the prosecutor's office.

According to the country's legislation, prosecutors from Osijek referred to "a Croatian citizen born in 1985". According to local media, this refers to the football player, who has been under investigation since June.

The "criminal offense of false testimony" according to Croatian criminal law carries a penalty of between six months and five years in prison.

His accusation is related to the signing of his professional contract with Dinamo Zagreb in 2004, which established the conditions for a future transfer.

Modric was summoned to give his version of the events on June 13 in Osijek, in the trial of Zdravko Mamic, a 57-year-old strong and controversial man in Croatian football, who is suspected in several cases of embezzlement.

The Croatian justice suspects that the former president of Dinamo Zagreb had diverted, with his alleged accomplices, €15.6 million, mainly in fraudulent transfers, hiding €1.6 million from the tax authorities.

In the Osijek court, the 32-year-old Modric stated that he signed an annex with Mamic in 2004, which stipulated that he would receive half of the transfer premiums.

In 2015, Modric had told investigators that this annex had been signed retroactively when he was already playing for Tottenham, which he joined in 2008 from Dinamo. In 2012, he would join Real Madrid.

In his testimony during the investigation, Modric also explained that he had paid cash to the Mamic family about €7 million out of the €9 million that arrived in his account for his transfer.

In court, struggling to control his nerves, Modric did not exchange glances with Mamic, his brother Zoran, and another Dinamo official.

Mamic is a feared figure in Croatian football. Many fans accuse him of controlling the federation and claim that the former international player Davor Suker, the current president, is only his puppet.

According to local media, ensuring the neutrality of the judges was the reason for bringing the trial to Osijek, as Mamic's ties to some judges in the capital are very close.

Mamic denounces a "political" process and describes the anti-corruption prosecutors as "liars and manipulators".