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# Soccer great Zvonimir Boban returns as CEO to Croatian club where he was a pre-war hero

April 15th, 2025 09:58 AM

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ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Croatia soccer great Zvonimir Boban is returning to the club where he became a hero for his actions on the field before the breakup of Yugoslavia.

Boban will start his new job as CEO at Dinamo Zagreb on June 1, the club said at a news conference late Monday.

The 56-year-old Boban is taking his first job as a soccer executive since resigning as UEFA's chief of football in January 2024 in protest at his former ally Aleksander Čeferin's leadership as president.

Boban is revered at Dinamo where he played for six years through 1991 and was captain on the day of a national derby game against Red Star Belgrade that became part of Croatian lore.

In May 1990, when police clashed violently with fans in the stadium, Boban tried to protect supporters when he launched into a running high kick at a police officer.

The incident revealed growing ethnic tensions that led to war across the Balkans for the next decade, and got Boban suspended from the Yugoslavia squad that went to the 1990 World Cup in Italy.

Boban's action then was "symbolically considered to be the beginning of the struggle for Croatian independence," Dinamo said Monday.

## Success at Milan

One year later, Boban joined AC Milan where he stayed 10 years, winning four Serie A titles and the Champions League in 1994. Milan routed Barcelona 4-0 in the final.

Boban worked at FIFA for three years as its deputy general secretary for soccer until leaving in 2019 for an executive role at Milan. He stayed less than a year.

Boban rejoins his first club that looks set to lose the Croatian league title after seven years of domination.

Dinamo fired coach Fabio Cannavaro last week with the team in third place, now seven points behind leader Rijeka.

Dinamo is likely to enter qualifying rounds of Europe's third-tier competition, the Conference League, having played in the Champions League this season. The Croatian champion placed 25th in the new league phase and was edged out of qualifying for the knockout rounds on goal difference.

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