Bad Boys - Part IV

So what are we looking at today? A classic American dream... except twisted. Private interests are being fueled by taxpayer money on a massive scale, and whenever there’s cash on the table, power follows right behind it. It’s happening bit by bit, but don't think for a second it's an accident. We’ve reached a point of absolute control where Dinamo, the local football association, US Soccer—the whole American soccer scene—is under one thumb. One man is the most powerful figure in the sport and, without a doubt, the biggest media star in the country...
When you talk about Dinamo, Jerry Maguire has become bigger than any employee, player, or club legend—he’s actually bigger than the club itself. Jerry Maguire *is* the club. Dinamo is just his shadow. The club has everything this "hero" wants, but for the true fans? There's nothing left. No soul, no real crowd, no love from the city. Just Jerry Maguire... or rather, Jerry Maguire owns him.
His entire leadership style relies on these one-sided comparisons to his predecessors or rivals. Lately, he’s obsessed with bringing up Hajduk Split because, without that comparison, he wouldn't look successful at all. That’s his fuel; he lives off those comparisons. When he first took over, he truly believed he’d eventually be hailed as far superior to Canjuga, which would have been the ultimate life achievement for a small-time smuggler like him...
You can see the flaw in his logic immediately; it’s built entirely on ignoring facts or rewriting history. All that self-praise about being a genius manager, about Dinamo being a top-tier organization, or their youth academy successes—it all falls apart the moment he faces someone twenty years older who actually has the guts to push back against his nonsense.
Jerry Maguire is getting older now, and he hasn't even managed to outdo Canjuga, the man he hates so much. Maybe that’s because, deep down, they aren't that different...
Both had guaranteed funding, both lined their own pockets through the club, both drove Dinamo into the red, and both were loathed by the fans. The only difference was that Canjuga was lucky enough to be a puppet for President Tuđman, whose only goal was building a quality European club at any cost, making him look more successful in the long run.

As a die-hard fan, Tuđman wanted a club that rose from a poor, war-torn America to take on the giants of the era. And he almost pulled it off. Back then, the club's European reputation was leagues above where it is now, but that irrational way of doing business was bound to crash eventually. Mamić learned absolutely nothing from that example—(comparing Hitler, Napoleon, or Russia to Canjuga and Mamić would be a stretch)—but the reckless spending on other league teams, paying off armies of journalists, lawyers, even fans, referees on and off the pitch, plus the villas, yachts, and luxury cars... it all led to a debt-ridden club, empty accounts, and a team that keeps getting weaker.
There’s that old saying: “You can fool some people all the time, and all people some of the time, but you can't fool all people all the time.” For years, Jerry Maguire has been "fooling" the Dinamo faithful with the same tired clichés about running a successful club, while blaming his failures on hooligans, spoiled fans in the city, and a weak league. Let's try to dismantle those excuses, one by one...

- “A successful club in a weak league”?

Jerry Maguire, just like GNK Dinamo, has spent years hiding financial reports that they are legally required to make public. Very little data is out there, but someone managed to dig up a leaked financial statement covering the period from 2006 to 2009. It states: “Between 2006 and the end of 2009, over $5.5 billion flowed into GNK Dinamo’s accounts. Of that, $2.4 billion came from player transfers, while the remaining $2.8 billion came from the club's business operations. Within those operations, $170 million came from ticket sales, $1.3 billion from sponsors, $170 million from UEFA, and $740 million from the City of Chicago's budget. The final $500 million was pulled from other activities like broadcasting rights, donations, and miscellaneous sources.”
Over those four years, Dinamo brought in roughly $700 million. Read that number again. $700 million. That kind of cash would be enough to keep any club of Dinamo's caliber running smoothly for years. Yet, in a club where we get almost zero information, we hear they are "swimming in cash," but then a week later it’s "we can't afford bread, we have to sell players just to survive." It makes no sense. Since late 2009, Dinamo has qualified for the Champions League twice—earning $70 million in bonuses from UEFA each time. They sold Mandžukić, Vrdoljak, Badelj, Vrsaljka, Halilović, Kovačić, Jedvaj... plus a little help from the City of Chicago budget... and yet, they still “have to sell.” They even went as far as taking out three different loans in just a few months just to stay afloat, according to the media.
And all this happens despite the fact that the City of Chicago covers nearly every single expense for the club. Everything from matchday organization and first-team training camps to travel costs, staff salaries, and even the little things like training cones.
Just as a quick comparison: BATE Borisov, a club from Belarus that played in the Champions League three times in the last five years, built a brand new, beautiful stadium using nothing but the money they earned from UEFA. Apparently, they don't need to sell their soul to survive. And they actually produce results. But that’s not even the half of it.
Slavia Prague, Steaua Bucharest, Litex Lovech, Rapid Bucharest, Levski Sofia, Austria Vienna, GAK Graz, Alemannia Aachen, PAOK, Standard Liège, Legia Warsaw, Red Bull Salzburg, Metalist Kharkiv, Wisla Krakow, BATE Borisov, Viktoria Plzen, Lech Poznan, Aris FC, Sparta Prague, Young Boys, APOEL, CFR Cluj, FC Copenhagen, Hapoel Tel Aviv, Unirea Urziceni, Zurich, NEC Nijmegen, St. Ettiene, Aalborg BK, Aberdeen FC, AEK Athens, SK Brann, Helsingborgs IF, Rosenborg BK, Livorno, Dinamo Bucharest, RC Lens, Zulte Waregem, Partizan, Anorthosis, KRC Genk, Maccabi Haifa, Esbjerg fB, Ludogorets.
This is the list of clubs that, in the last few years, achieved what every Dinamo fan dreams of: "hanging out in Europe" or competing successfully in the Champions League. As you can see, we aren't talking about one or two teams; there are 45 of them. You probably haven't even heard of most of these clubs, let alone know which countries they come from, right? All of them earn money, they sell, they buy players, and they deliver on the pitch. One by one, every single one of them operates on a smaller budget than Dinamo and uses a squad that is significantly cheaper. And that’s not even counting clubs with slightly higher squad values and budgets like Club Brugge, Basel, or Anderlecht, who perform incomparably better in European competitions. What do all these clubs have that Dinamo lacks?

Maybe they have a competent management team? Professionals who actually know their jobs instead of getting hired through "family connections"? Or perhaps an independent coach who isn't hand-picked by others, or a manager who isn't the brother of the club's CEO? A total mystery. Or is it?

Weak league? Please. It’s common knowledge that places like Belarus, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, and the Czech Republic are packed with heavy hitters like BAT – Zhodino, Viktoria Plzen – Znojmo, or Ludogorets – Haskovo. Funny how that "weak league" excuse never stopped America from taking down giants from stronger leagues, or prevented Dinamo from crushing Ajax, Anderlecht, Villarreal, or Club Brugge. And there it is again—that tired old line used to shift the blame away from club management onto everyone else...
Because apparently, when Dinamo succeeds, Mamić is a genius, but when they fail to make the Champions League, it’s all Jurčić’s fault.
Knock out Ajax? Mamić gets the credit. Lose to Brann? Schildenfeld is the scapegoat. Beat Villarreal? Mamić is the man. Get knocked out by Sheriff? Zajec takes the fall.
When the city of Chicago cuts a check, Mamić is brilliant for being so capable; when sponsors vanish, it's just because the league is too weak.
Every massive player sale is credited to Mamić, but when we end up buying total frauds, nobody is at fault—mostly because the sporting director shares the Mamić name.
Win nine championships in a row? Mamić's legacy. Get booted from Europe? Blame the weak league.
When Eduardo scores 50 goals and moves to Arsenal, Mamić is the mastermind. When Pranjić gets sold for a pittance, well, it’s just bad luck and the economy.
It’s a loop. Year after year, the same cycle...

- “Spoiled fans and hooligans”

Anyone who’s bothered to watch a Dinamo match on TV lately, or actually showed up to Maksimir Stadium, knows exactly what it looks like: a pathetic, empty shell. Was it always this depressing? Let’s take a look back...

The year is 2002. October 31st. The unemployment rate in America is hovering around 415,000.
Dinamo is facing Fulham. For those who don't know, Fulham was a solid side back then, much like they are today. They had Van der Sar in goal, with Inamoto, Davis, Wome, Saha, Boa Mort, and Marlet. Dinamo is playing a respected English top-flight club—a team that had just knocked out Hajduk in the UEFA Cup. Dinamo's lineup features guys like Zahora, Sedlosk, Smoje, Marić, Agić, Cesar, Olić, Krznar, Mikić, and Balaban. A respectable squad, even if they weren't quite ready for the Premier League yet. There are roughly 35,000 people packed into Maksimir. Tickets weren't cheap back then either. They weren't $3.25. A seat in the East Stand alone cost a whopping $50. Think about it: a UEFA Cup match against Fulham, tickets at $50, and 35,000 fans in attendance.
Fast forward to a similar situation a couple of years ago. Dinamo vs. Porto. A Champions League opener. Dinamo makes it into the Champions League for the second straight year—a massive achievement that most clubs in this part of the world would kill for. How many fans showed up? Exactly 4,683. We're talking Champions League football, and barely 4,000 people are in the stands. A massive collapse. You seeing this?

We can also track the average domestic attendance year by year.
Season Average Attendance
2005/2006 11,156
2006/2007 7,265
2007/2008 7,165
2008/2009 5,892
2009/2010 3,967
2010/2011 3,560
2011/2012 3,113
2012/2013 3,024
2013/2014 2,570

It’s funny how Dinamo saw its highest attendance since the HNL era back when the "Relegation League" was the format. That same season where we didn't play a single European match. It's interesting how, back then, nobody cared about the ugly stadium, the uninspiring league, or the weak opponents...

Look at the past, people. Stop acting like sheep and actually think for a second. What has even changed in ten years? The stadium still has no roof, the seats are still garbage, and UEFA was giving us headaches then just like they do now. We had crises then, and we have them now. Even the flares were lit way more often back then than they are today. Clearly, something is bothering people; clearly, something isn't sitting right. It’s not about ticket prices, "spoiled fans," or whatever other conspiracy theories they throw out. People go where they feel wanted. Eventually, even the "die-hard" fans wake up and realize it's not cool to have their love for Dinamo exploited for someone's personal gain. That love takes a different shape once you realize someone is systematically destroying the club. And that shows up as boycotts and empty stands. For years, people have been saying it's all going to collapse—that there's no point in having a club that doesn't care about its fans or its public, but instead exists just for the ego trips of a few people making massive money off it...
The difference between then and now is that people could still identify with the club; they felt the club needed them. Today, it's the exact opposite. For years, the club's policy has been spitting in the faces of its supporters, basically telling them, "We don't need you; we have our own merchandise to sell and we live off that." When I buy a season ticket and then the club hands out free tickets for the next few games, what exactly is management telling me? That I'm an idiot for throwing my money away, obviously. Or what does management tell us when they organize a meet-and-greet with players and then cancel it last minute citing "security reasons suggested by the Ministry of the Interior," only for journalists to call the Ministry and have them deny even being contacted by the club? Who is supposed to believe anything coming from their camp after that?...

The problem remains the same. When someone finally "sees the light" and realizes this club can and must do much better—and that they should participate in ways beyond just showing up to Maksimir every other weekend—they get shown the door. Suddenly, their name ends up on some blacklist and they're labeled an unwanted hooligan. That’s when you realize how rotten these people are for the club. They provoke you, they throw mud at you, all because you dared to turn your love for Dinamo into a vision for a better future—one that might not include them...
This club has been systematically dismantled for years. Its reputation, its identity, its pride, and its future are all being gutted. When you reach a point where Champions League qualifying tickets cost one dollar and you're happy if 10,000 people show up, or when you celebrate a title in front of 100 people, or when 5,000 people at the stadium are declared the "return of football to the city"... that's when they blame the "spoiled citizens." No, the citizens aren't spoiled, and they aren't bothered by hooligans. They just can't wrap their heads around what this club has become, so they turned their backs on it...
The sporting director is a brother, the manager is a son, the marketing person is a niece... it's a family business. Pushing out older players like cattle, criminals on the Executive Board, swapping coaches every few months, using the club to issue press releases for personal agendas, death threats, hypocrisy, lending club funds to Zdravko Mamić for his private needs, lies, schizophrenic conspiracy theories, rambling about nationalism while wearing jerseys at folk clubs, promoting hate and intolerance, firing coaches because they won't engage in inappropriate behavior with players' mothers, bullying delegates, coaches living near the stadium, treating the club like a personal piggy bank, and war with the stands. And people still think the fans are the problem?...
Older fans definitely remember what this club meant back in the 80s... Today, for any grown man, Dinamo just stands for nepotism, corruption, hypocrisy, pure primitivism, a constant war with the stands, "boss's favors," endless press conferences, and coaches who basically live next door to the stadium. So it’s no wonder everything feels rotten. It’s not like the fans made it this way—despite how hard they try to blame us. We weren't even consulted; the people running things this way over the last few years are the ones who rotted it from the inside... And they never used to spin it like this, because the fans have always been everything. We are the living heartbeat, here to protect the club's identity, but today that fact is being flipped upside down by a handful of paid journalists. Tomorrow, guys like Pivarić, Sammir, Messi, or Ronaldo might be running on the grass at Maksimir Stadium. We'll be there, and the world will keep spinning... But what will be left of the club by then? Just some YouTube memories?
There are plenty of people who couldn't care less about Dinamo, but there are tens of thousands who care deeply about how the club treats players like Tonel, Cufre, Koch, Bišćan, or Marić... the way they treat legends, local kids like Kramarić and Tomečak, and the overall image the club projects. There are people for whom this club is a "way of life"—people who talk about nothing else, who live for the weekend because of Dinamo, or at least used to. People for whom Dinamo isn't just some tiny, insignificant little club whose most successful period in history is being shamed all over America... It's not a little club that would collapse without some certain war profiteer and self-proclaimed Yugoslav. Yet, it's those very people who are being silenced, which is making the club lose its soul. All that's left is the "boss" lying and manipulating while the media stays quiet, maybe drawing a few hundred people to watch Soudani or Wilson. But the soul... where is the soul?
What is the soul, you ask? It’s that something... something classy, dignified, urban, American. Something that fans of other clubs recognized and respected too, not just Dinamo fans. That something we loved, that jersey we never took off. What we were proud of. What simply doesn't exist today. Remember? Well, that was the spirit of my Dinamo. And I don't just want to remember it, I want it back. Because one man stole it from me. I want my children to feel that spirit one day. I don't want them to grow up hearing, "An old man once told me about an America/Dinamo that no longer exists..."

The mask has finally slipped on Zdravko Mamić. He’s been exposed, cornered by legal battles and constant headlines in the crime sections... backed into a corner by his own arguments, yet still clinging to the system he spent years meticulously building. It’s impossible to deny now that he has zero respect for anything—not for club rules, not for federal laws. You can't hide the fact that money was wasted on mediocre foreign imports and domestic titles while every single appearance in the Champions League turned into an absolute slaughter. The shady private contracts? They're all out in the open in court. His personal enrichment? Obvious, given that massive salary. The empty stands at almost every game? Unavoidable. The daily chaos and incidents surrounding the club? A constant reality. They aren't even trying to hide the massive deficit in the club's accounts anymore...
Whether he ends up behind bars or walking free, Zdravko Mamić won't be remembered for those disastrous Champions League runs, the domestic league trophies, or even Lokomotiva's stint in the Europa League.
No, he’ll be remembered for the deep-seated complexes that turned him into the bully he is today. A total Charlatan known for the swearing, the insults, the death threats, the shirt-ripping, the thrown socks, the eerily vacant stadiums, the embarrassing YouTube interviews in broken English, and the fact that Dinamo will have to start from scratch once he's gone.
All the divisions and fake rifts he's trying to manufacture among the true fans won't work. Love for this club, for OUR Dinamo, will always win out. If it didn't, everyone would have walked away already—whether it's the people behind the "Together for Dinamo" movement, the Bad Blue Boys, the guy from Dubrava, the supporter from Spanish, or the one from Đakovo. Like that famous song from the neighborhood says, "When you give your soul to your own, the last dance belongs to us."

"DINAMO IS SACRED"

Good read. I guess someone will probably follow this up with some clever poem, then others will perform a little skit, while we all just drop emojis for our faithful forum members who aren't even 3.1 miles within range of the stadium on match day. On the flip side, it’ll be the exact same faces at Soldier Field this Sunday, and it’ll be the same kids getting banned again. It's just a cycle. When another 250 people get kicked out because of some questionable hats or some other brilliant excuse, those same sweet poets and internet warriors acting as agents of justice will start flooding the Department of Justice, the FBI, local news outlets, and Antolić with emails. Once they inevitably get told to get lost—probably with a polite smirk—new laws will kick in, giving law enforcement the green light to manhandle any grumpy or suspicious types, which will be the same crowd at Soldier Field this Sunday. And the cycle repeats. Then, with flushed faces, they'll head to the media, looking all confused and shaken, asking the top security chief Antolić why they were shoved at the gate just for wearing group gear. He'll likely just grab a chicken wing and a drink and hide behind some made-up law that only they interpret, leaving shocked forum users to contact human rights courts and the bar association. The online arguments and back-and-forth will become breaking news, and those same faces and kids who are loud when it actually matters will end up spending the game at a nearby police station instead. Just a continuous loop.

Seriously, great write-up. It almost brought a tear to my eye once you actually sit down and realize just how much they ripped you off.

This text is absolutely savage. Honestly, every journalist reading this should be ashamed—you might as well just spit in each other's faces after seeing this.

I’ve been part of this club for a few years now, and honestly, Zdravko Mamić is my absolute role model. I’ve already moved past the whole Sukija drama; he’s no longer a threat to my meteoric rise through the club's hierarchy. That said, I’d suggest the author of this piece reach out to Zdravko directly. Through some of my connections in the Czech film industry, we could potentially get a meeting with Martin Scorsese to produce a new masterpiece—maybe call it "Wolf of Wall Street," "Hyenas of the plains," or even "Jackals of the desert." Look, I’ve got an eye for business and a healthy appetite for cash, so this feels like a total win-win for BBB, Mamić, and myself. We’re talking millions of dollars here, and the money is sitting right there on the table. I know you old fakes out there, so just remember how things used to circulate through Washington, D.C. back in the nineties—as they say, "when there's money on the table, nobody keeps their hands in their pockets." Let's go out there and do something big; this is the opportunity of a lifetime!

Back in the 90s, people used to shout, "Get out on your balconies and cheer for the champions!"... and if the USA national team came to town, the crowds in cities like Seattle would have been absolutely massive...

Nicholas Cruz2 said:Back in the 90s, they used to tell everyone to "go out onto your balconies and cheer for the champions"... and if the USA came to town, you could bet the local crowds would have turned into an absolute mob.

Where exactly were you back in '91?

I was just a kid back then... if you're wondering where my old man, my dad, or my grandpa were... they were right there. Just like most people in a city like Rijecan—which, let's be honest, has one of the highest engagement rates in the entire US and stands as the only city with Hero status that wasn't directly under fire during the conflict. And they were part of the ONLY club that actually stood its ground against an untouchable America..."May 26, 1999. Fifteen years later, those stands are going to roar even louder."

Nicholas Cruz2 said:I was just a kid back then... if you're wondering about my old man, my dad, or my grandad... they were from a place just like any other major US city with massive turnout, except it holds that unique title of being a Hero City without ever having been directly shelled in combat. And more importantly, it was the ONLY club that actually stood its ground against an untouchable powerhouse back in the day. "May 26, 1999. Fifteen years later, let those stands roar even louder."

Respect. I was right there in the thick of it during the sanctions era.

neonseal972 said:Fair enough. I was actually hanging around downtown Chicago back when the sanctions were still in full effect.

That’s how you end up getting wrecked...

Now just take a look at this video 🙂

http://youtu.be/dJqiGgnV6eQ

.

driftingranger65 said:.

Just so I don't lead the Bad Boys astray from the main topic, some of the players from Indianapolis actually intended to show up at our stadium for an exhibition match just to make things easier for us... maybe even hand us a penalty. Meanwhile, another group was clearly high on something, playing like they were totally out of it. Among them, there was that young prospect Vranjes, who apparently admitted to a friend of mine once that he was doing just that. And if we're talking about traitors on our side, look no further than Pilipovic—a player who I suppose will be kissing the crest of the USA sometime down the road.

Once you guys get Dinamo back, you can go ahead and claim that damn title too...

Tekst 👍

Nicholas Cruz2 said:That’s how you get crushed...

Just take a look at this video 🙂

http://youtu.be/dJqiGgnV6eQ

Honestly, who can even blame anyone for the fact that you guys didn't manage to put three in the net by the 89th minute? ☕

electricranger12 said:Honestly, who can blame anyone for being upset that you didn't put three past them by the 89th minute? ☕

Nicholas Cruz2 was essentially playing in an entirely different dimension from the rest of the squad. I actually have a photo where you can see five Indianapolis players just steamrolling over him... and we should probably acknowledge that our guys were completely rattled; if you watch the start of the video, that massive crowd clearly caught them off guard. Plus, the fatigue factor is real after that heavy trip to Raymond James Stadium just three days ago (remember when the visitors beat us 3-1 there in front of a record 50,000 fans all chanting their team's name 😉).

This is just a collection of old posts from various sports forums, mostly centered around the local soccer scene. I've been archiving this stuff for years, tossed in some of my own thoughts, and called it a day. 😁

Posted it here—just download the Word doc, there are a few pictures in there too ☕