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Dejan Lovren charged with false testimony, could face 5 years in prison

Michael Regan / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren has been charged with giving false testimony in a court case regarding former Dinamo Zagreb chief executive Zdravko Mamic.

Lovren, who reached the World Cup final with Croatia this summer, has been named by Croatian state media as the 29-year-old citizen charged by the attorney's office in the city of Osijek, reports Reuters.

The center-back responded to the charge by declaring his innocence in a post on Instagram, as reported by the Press Association:

"After coming from afternoon training, I learned that the media in Croatia and then in England reported the news that an indictment was filed against me for giving a false statement in one case in Croatia. My family, friends, and acquaintances told me the same thing. So, before I saw or received the indictment at all, and before my attorneys received it, all the media reported the news. This is simply not fair, not just, not sporting. In this way, acting on me and my family is extremely discriminatory and unfair. A fight that is not fair and I'm not used to. But I want to say this to all, especially to my family, friends, supporters in my homeland, my club and my club’s fans in England, (that I am) innocent. I did not commit any criminal offence. I am proud of my life, every step of my life, everything that my family and I have created. With indignation I dismiss all accusations, and to anyone who wants to ruin my reputation and the reputation of my family, I say it will not succeed."

Lovren is the second high-profile Croatian footballer to be charged in the case after World Cup Golden Ball winner and Real Madrid​​​ midfielder Luka Modric in March.

Mamic was found guilty in June on charges regarding illegal profiteering on player transfers from his time at Dinamo and faces six-and-a-half years in prison. According to the Independent's Liam Twomey, those deals include the one that sent Modric to Tottenham in 2008 as well as Lovren's move to Lyon in 2010.

That report states the court ruled Modric and Lovren were unlawfully paid 50 percent of their transfer fees and passed a significant proportion of that money to Mamic and his family per illegally backdated clauses in their Dinamo contracts. According to Reuters, Lovren's testimony regarded the dates of signing those amendments.

The process of confirming Mamic's verdict via the Superior Court could take years. No trial dates for Lovren have yet been announced, but he, along with Modric, faces between six months and five years of imprisonment if convicted.

Lovren played in every game of Croatia's run to the World Cup final this summer but is yet to appear for Liverpool this season due to injury. In the defender's absence, the Reds have won their first six games in all competitions, conceding just four goals in that time.

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