German Handball Scandal Investigated by USKOK

According to unofficial sources, USKOK requested that the police investigate accusations that a Zagreb club manager rigged matches.

The German prosecution recently started an investigation into allegations that handball referees were bribed to rule in favour of a certain club. But as the trails of rigging matches lead all the way to Zagreb, Croatian institutions have become involved in the entire story. 

Volarevic denies all accusations 

Allegedly, the former manager of the Agram Medvescak club, Nenad Volarevic, is involved in rigging Kiel matches by making payments to referees in the amount of 92,000 euros.

Nobody contacted the Zagreb handball club, but if they do, we are obliged to respond. I have to stress that we as a club have nothing to do with this, we are not interested in referees’ manipulations. As far as Volarevic is concerned, it has to be established if he is guilty.

Zagreb club manager Bartol Kaleb

According to unofficial sources, the Office for the Prevention of Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK) requested of the police to investigate the case.  The same source told us that Volarevic is the focus of the investigation which should confirm or remove suspicions in claims that the scandal rocking Germany’s handball stemmed all the way from Zagreb, that is, Agram Medvescak’s leader.

Volarevic denied all accusations in an interview for Der Spiegel, in which he claims that the payments he made were his fees for mediation in the transfers of certain handball players. But despite his denial, a detailed investigation will be carried out, including police interviews with some handball officials, although they do not know anything about that.

- Nobody contacted the Zagreb handball club, but if they do, we are obliged to respond. I have to stress that we as a club have nothing to do with this, we are not interested in referees’ manipulations. As far as Volarevic is concerned, it has to be established if he is guilty – Zagreb club manager Bartol Kaleb said. The Secretary-General of the Croatian Handball Association, Damir Poljak, also confirmed to us that nobody has yet been called in for an interview with police.