"We are eating squid ink risotto in one corner of a room now configured as Dinamo Zagreb's canteen; diagonally opposite is the spot where, fighting through the club's youth system, a young arrival from Dalmatia used to sleep. Emotionally it's the biggest story of my life, this one, Boban says, memories of this former dormitory leaping into his mind's eye. Where, if not here?"
"The day's newspapers pay testament to that with some scathing commentaries after a 3-1 Europa League defeat by Real Betis here the previous evening. They say Jesus was a good man, he says. Better than any of us, that's clear, no? They crucified him, so who are we not to be crucified in our everyday life? Zvonimir Boban describes the award of the Fifa peace prize' to Donald Trump as disrespectful and irresponsible'."
An afternoon mist settles over Maksimir Stadion as Zvonimir Boban explains his return inside Dinamo Zagreb's canteen, recalling sleeping in the club dormitory as a youth. Boban has held senior roles at Fifa and Uefa and resigned from the latter almost two years ago, relinquishing central policymaking clout. The Dinamo presidency brings heightened public scrutiny and press criticism, especially after a 3-1 Europa League defeat by Real Betis. Boban has criticised Fifa's award of a peace prize to Donald Trump as "disrespectful and irresponsible". He returned initially as CEO and then became president via Dinamo's first fully democratic election to reshape the club he once captained.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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