Minister replied they are protesting in the wrong place
Photos: Zajedno za DInamo (Together for DInamo) Facebook
Around 1000 members of Bad Blue Boys, supporters of Dinamo football club, protested on November 27, 2015 in Zagreb to show their discontent with the way institutions are handling the situation with their favourite football club, especially now that the club’s director is once again behind bars awaiting trial for tax evasion and money laundering.
Their protest started near the Maksimir stadium and continued in front of the Ministry of Science education and Sport. Supporters were mobilizing for days, handing out flyers, putting up signs across the city and they’ve received support from other Croatian cities.
“Considering that the lead people in Dinamo are now under investigation for the largest robbery in the history of Croatian sport, we are holding the current Government and every future Government responsible for each day those “sports officials” spend in their current positions, especially the Ministry of Science Education and Sports since its inspections have the authority to remove this cancer from our club” members of Bad Blue Boys stated during the protest.
They are asking for immediate dismissal of all managing bodies within F.C. DInamo including the Executive and Supervisory boards. Bad Blue Boys stressed that their protest against institutions doesn’t not only concern Dinamo supporters but also every inhabitant of Zagreb: “Institutions are ready to bring back the man who is accused of stealing hundreds of millions of kuna to the same position from which he has access to Croatian tax payers+ money, your money” Bad Blue Boys added.
Minister Mornar was not in the building during the protests but he did send a statement saying that the Ministry did everything within the jurisdiction of its sports inspections and that the protestors are in the wrong place. No one sent a notice that the protest will be held in front of the Ministry and no one sent a request for a meeting. Statement also says that, according to what was reported in the media; demands of the protestors are not clearly articulated.
“If we read between the lines, we can see that this is a request to regulate the constitution of an association of citizens, in this case a football club, however this is not defined within the Sports Act, it is defined by the Association Act which clearly states that all association constitutions are approved by the State administration offices or the City Office for General Administration of the City of Zagreb” Mornar explained why the protestors should have gone to Milan Bandić instead of the Ministry.
Mornar things the only possibility is to impose a different Assembly constitution through changes in the Spots Act but that would violate the autonomy of sport guaranteed by international crown sports organizations. As far as financial offences of which the leading people of DInamo are accused, Minister once again stated that USKOK is currently conducting its investigations and the Ministry cannot comment on any of their ongoing cases. “Sports inspection did everything it is authorized to do, whether someone is paying taxes or not is not in the jurisdiction of the Sports inspection or the Ministry of Science, Education and Sport” Mornar concluded.
