Dražen Ladic
Encyclopedia
Dražen Ladić (ˈdraʒen ˈladitɕ; born 1 January 1963) is a former Croatia
n football
goalkeeper. Between 2006 and 2011 he was the head coach of the Croatian national under-21 team
.
, but grew up in the nearby village of Gornji Hrašćan
and started his career at NK Varteks in 1977, transferring to the club's senior squad in 1980. He left Varteks for Dinamo Zagreb
in 1984, but the club decided to loan him to Iskra Bugojno for two seasons immediately after they signed him. He eventually made his debut for Dinamo in July 1986 and stayed at the club until the end of his playing career nearly 14 years later, collecting a record-holding total of 802 appearances in official matches.
During his time at the club, Ladić also played in several matches of both the UEFA Champions League
and the UEFA Cup
. In 1997, he notably saved a penalty kick
in Dinamo Zagreb's home match against Partizan Belgrade
in the first qualifying round for the UEFA Champions League, which they won 5-0. The Dinamo team continued to compete in the UEFA Cup after an unlucky 4-3 defeat on aggregate in the last minute of extra time against Newcastle United
in the second qualifying round for the UEFA Champions League and got all the way to the third round, where they lost 2-1 on aggregate against Atlético Madrid.
In the autumn of 1998, Ladić debuted with Dinamo Zagreb in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League and played all six group matches before the club was eliminated from the competition by finishing second in their group, behind Olympiacos. The club repeated the success of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League group stages the following year, with Ladić making four group-stage appearances before being injured in the fourth group match against Sturm Graz
and missing the final two matches before the team was eliminated from the competition after finishing last among the four teams in their group, one point behind the third-place Sturm Graz.
He soon recovered from the injury and continued to play for Dinamo until the end of the 1999-2000 season, making his last appearance for the club in the Croatian Cup
finals against Hajduk Split on May 16, 2000 in Zagreb. With Dinamo, he won the Croatian First League
champions title six times, in 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000, as well as four Croatian Cup titles in 1994, 1996, 1997 and 1998.
and was also mentioned to be part of their squad at the 1990 FIFA World Cup
finals in Italy
, but was eventually omitted from the squad without making his debut for the team that year. He eventually made his international debut for at the time newly founded Croatian national team
in their first international match, a friendly against the United States
on October 17, 1990 in Zagreb
. After winning his first two caps for Croatia, Ladić nevertheless managed to make his international debut for Yugoslavia as well. He appeared in two matches, playing all 90 minutes in a friendly against Turkey
on February 27, 1991 in İzmir
and being the team's substitute goalkeeper in the last 25 minutes of a Euro 1992 qualifier against the Faroe Islands
on May 16, 1991 in Belgrade
. The match against the Faroes was also the last where Croatian footballers have played for the Yugoslav national team.
Ladić went on to become the first-choice goalkeeper of the Croatian national team throughout the 1990s and won a total of 59 international caps before he retired in May 2000. His competitive debut for the Croatian national team came in the team's first qualifying match for the UEFA Euro 1996 against Estonia
on September 4, 1994 in Tallinn
. He went on to make nine out of possible ten appearances in that qualifying campaign, only missing the team's away match against Ukraine
due to a one-match suspension for a red card
received in the previous home match against Slovenia
. He was also the team's starting goalkeeper at the Euro 1996 finals in England
, making three out of possible four appearances and only missing the final group match against Portugal
where Croatia started to play with seven players who were normally left on the bench. Croatia was eliminated from the tournament in the quarterfinals after losing 2-1 to Germany
.
Ladić was also the first-choice goalkeeper during the Croatian national team's qualifying campaign for the 1998 FIFA World Cup
and appeared in seven out of possible ten matches, but is mostly remembered from this period for his two blunders that he made during the qualifying campaign. The first happened to him in the team's home match against Denmark
, when he conceded a bizarre goal after misjudging the path of Brian Laudrup
's cross
due to strong wind
deflecting the ball and allowing Denmark to get an equaliser in the final ten minutes of the match. The incident saw Croatia losing two possibly crucial points after the match ended in a 1-1 draw. The second blunder was when he scored an own goal
that put the Bosnia and Herzegovina
team 1-0 up in another Croatia's home match, but the team eventually managed to get all three points with a tough 3-2 victory. Croatia eventually qualified for the finals after beating Ukraine 3-1 on aggregate in the play-offs, without Ladić playing in the second leg.
Despite Ladić's solid performances for Dinamo Zagreb in the European competition in 1997, his two blunders for the national team were still remembered by many people and made them sceptical when he was chosen as the Croatian national team's starting goalkeeper at the 1998 World Cup finals in France
. However, he showed really good shape at the tournament and already distinguished himself in the second group match against Japan
with a great save of Masashi Nakayama
's shot in a one-on-one situation. He once again attracted the attention in the quarterfinals against Germany by saving a header and a volley from Oliver Bierhoff
at close range, helping the Croatian team to record a surprisingly convincing 3-0 victory over the highly-favoured German side. In the semifinals, he was helpless against two Lilian Thuram
's goals that gave France
a 2-1 victory and a place in the Final, but once again performed well in the third-place match against the Netherlands
, clearing several promising goalscoring chances from the Dutch side and conceding only an unstoppable shot from Boudewijn Zenden for the 1-1 equaliser. Croatia won the match 2-1 in the end and was awarded with bronze medals in their very first World Cup appearance since the country's independence. Ladić was seen by many as one of the three best goalkeepers of the tournament. He appeared in all of the team's seven matches.
Despite initially announcing his withdrawal from the national team following the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Ladić later continued to play for Croatia in the Euro 2000 qualifying and made seven out of possible eight appearances, eventually ending his international career after the final qualifying match against Yugoslavia on October 9, 1999 and Croatia's failure to qualify for the final tournament.
He briefly returned to the Croatian national team for their friendly match against France on May 28, 2000 in Zagreb to make the final appearance of his career, symbolically appearing in the opening ten minutes of the match. As this was his 59th match for the Croatian national team, he played it with an otherwise unusual shirt
number 59.
took the charge of the Croatian national football team
in 2002, Ladić was appointed goalkeeping coach in his coaching staff. He left the post following the UEFA Euro 2004 finals in Portugal
, along with the rest of the staff, as their contracts expired after the tournament and were not renewed following Croatia's failure to reach the quarter-finals.
On 9 August 2006, Ladić was appointed head coach of the Croatian national under-21 football team
, replacing Slaven Bilić
, who was appointed head coach of the country's senior national team at the time.
and Croatia, Ladić was involved in a car accident when the Mercedes-Benz E-Class
he was driving collided with a Renault Clio
at a Zagreb road intersection. Both cars were damaged beyond repair and three passengers in the Renault sustained serious injuries. Ladić escaped the accident unhurt. Some eyewitnesses of the accident accused Ladić of a red light violation, which he denied.
He was removed from his position in January 2011, when the Croatian Football Federation accused him of falsifying insurance documents following the car accident. However, within the federation there were, and still are, others who have been charged of felonies and have not been removed from their positions, sparking corruption claims within the media.
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
goalkeeper. Between 2006 and 2011 he was the head coach of the Croatian national under-21 team
Croatia national under-21 football team
The Croatia national under-21 football team, also known as Croatia under-21 or Croatia U21 is a youth association football national team which represents Croatia at this age level and is a feeder team for the Croatia national football team....
.
Club
Ladić was born in ČakovecCakovec
Čakovec is a city in northern Croatia, located around 90 kilometres north of Zagreb, the Croatian capital. Čakovec is both the county seat and largest city of Međimurje County, the northernmost, smallest and most densely populated Croatian county.-Population:...
, but grew up in the nearby village of Gornji Hrašćan
Gornji Hrašcan
Gornji Hrašćan is a village in Međimurje County in northern Croatia. It is located six kilometres west from the county seat Čakovec, approximately half-way between the city and the Croatian-Slovenian border-crossing point in Trnovec...
and started his career at NK Varteks in 1977, transferring to the club's senior squad in 1980. He left Varteks for Dinamo Zagreb
Dinamo Zagreb
GNK Dinamo Zagreb, commonly referred to as Dinamo Zagreb , or by their nickname Modri are a Croatian football club based in Zagreb. They play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Croatian football, having won thirteen Croatian championship titles, ten...
in 1984, but the club decided to loan him to Iskra Bugojno for two seasons immediately after they signed him. He eventually made his debut for Dinamo in July 1986 and stayed at the club until the end of his playing career nearly 14 years later, collecting a record-holding total of 802 appearances in official matches.
During his time at the club, Ladić also played in several matches of both the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
and the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
. In 1997, he notably saved a penalty kick
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
in Dinamo Zagreb's home match against Partizan Belgrade
FK Partizan
Fudbalski klub Partizan is a professional football club based in Belgrade, Serbia. In its long history, FK Partizan won as many as 37 trophies. The club is the holder of 23 national championships, 12 national cups and 1 national supercup, and has also won the Mitropa Cup in 1978...
in the first qualifying round for the UEFA Champions League, which they won 5-0. The Dinamo team continued to compete in the UEFA Cup after an unlucky 4-3 defeat on aggregate in the last minute of extra time against Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
in the second qualifying round for the UEFA Champions League and got all the way to the third round, where they lost 2-1 on aggregate against Atlético Madrid.
In the autumn of 1998, Ladić debuted with Dinamo Zagreb in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League and played all six group matches before the club was eliminated from the competition by finishing second in their group, behind Olympiacos. The club repeated the success of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League group stages the following year, with Ladić making four group-stage appearances before being injured in the fourth group match against Sturm Graz
SK Sturm Graz
SK Sturm Graz is an Austrian association football club, based in Graz, Styria, playing in the Austrian Bundesliga. The club was founded in 1909 and the club colours are black and white....
and missing the final two matches before the team was eliminated from the competition after finishing last among the four teams in their group, one point behind the third-place Sturm Graz.
He soon recovered from the injury and continued to play for Dinamo until the end of the 1999-2000 season, making his last appearance for the club in the Croatian Cup
Croatian Cup
The Croatian Cup is an annually held football tournament for Croatian football clubs and is the second most important competition in Croatian football after the Prva HNL league championship. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation and usually runs from late August to May...
finals against Hajduk Split on May 16, 2000 in Zagreb. With Dinamo, he won the Croatian First League
Croatian First League
The Prva HNL , also known as 1. HNL or for sponsorship reasons the MAXtv Prva Liga, is the top Croatian football league competition, established in 1992. The winners qualify for the UEFA Champions League...
champions title six times, in 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000, as well as four Croatian Cup titles in 1994, 1996, 1997 and 1998.
International
In early 1990, Ladić was for the first time in his professional career a candidate to play for the national team of former YugoslaviaYugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...
and was also mentioned to be part of their squad at the 1990 FIFA World Cup
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
finals in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, but was eventually omitted from the squad without making his debut for the team that year. He eventually made his international debut for at the time newly founded Croatian national team
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
in their first international match, a friendly against the United States
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
on October 17, 1990 in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
. After winning his first two caps for Croatia, Ladić nevertheless managed to make his international debut for Yugoslavia as well. He appeared in two matches, playing all 90 minutes in a friendly against Turkey
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...
on February 27, 1991 in İzmir
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
and being the team's substitute goalkeeper in the last 25 minutes of a Euro 1992 qualifier against the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands national football team
The Faroe Islands national football team represents the Faroe Islands in association football and is controlled by the Faroe Islands Football Association, the governing body for football in the Faroe Islands. The Faroe Islands became a member of FIFA in 1988 and UEFA in 1990 and are the third...
on May 16, 1991 in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
. The match against the Faroes was also the last where Croatian footballers have played for the Yugoslav national team.
Ladić went on to become the first-choice goalkeeper of the Croatian national team throughout the 1990s and won a total of 59 international caps before he retired in May 2000. His competitive debut for the Croatian national team came in the team's first qualifying match for the UEFA Euro 1996 against Estonia
Estonia national football team
The Estonia national football team represents Estonia in international association football. Team members are selected by the head coach of Estonian Football Association . Estonia play their home matches at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....
on September 4, 1994 in Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
. He went on to make nine out of possible ten appearances in that qualifying campaign, only missing the team's away match against Ukraine
Ukraine national football team
The Ukraine national football team is the national football team of Ukraine and is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine. After Ukrainian Independence and breakaway from the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Hungary on 29 April 1992...
due to a one-match suspension for a red card
Misconduct (football)
Misconduct in association football is any conduct by a player that is deemed by the referee to warrant a disciplinary sanction in accordance with Law 12 of the Laws of the Game. Misconduct may occur at any time, including when the ball is out of play, during half-time and before and after the...
received in the previous home match against Slovenia
Slovenia national football team
The Slovenia national football team is the national football team of Slovenia and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia. The team played their first match in 1992 after the split of Yugoslavia in 1991....
. He was also the team's starting goalkeeper at the Euro 1996 finals in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, making three out of possible four appearances and only missing the final group match against Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
where Croatia started to play with seven players who were normally left on the bench. Croatia was eliminated from the tournament in the quarterfinals after losing 2-1 to Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
.
Ladić was also the first-choice goalkeeper during the Croatian national team's qualifying campaign for the 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
and appeared in seven out of possible ten matches, but is mostly remembered from this period for his two blunders that he made during the qualifying campaign. The first happened to him in the team's home match against Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
, when he conceded a bizarre goal after misjudging the path of Brian Laudrup
Brian Laudrup
Brian Laudrup is a Danish former football player and current football commentator, pundit and analyst on TV3+. Along with former international goalkeeper Lars Høgh, Laudrup manages a football academy for marginalized youth...
's cross
Cross (football)
In football, a cross is a delivery of a ball from either side of the field across to the front of the goal by applying various kicking techniques. A cross is there to provide a goal-scoring opportunity...
due to strong wind
Wind
Wind is the flow of gases on a large scale. On Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air. In outer space, solar wind is the movement of gases or charged particles from the sun through space, while planetary wind is the outgassing of light chemical elements from a planet's atmosphere into space...
deflecting the ball and allowing Denmark to get an equaliser in the final ten minutes of the match. The incident saw Croatia losing two possibly crucial points after the match ended in a 1-1 draw. The second blunder was when he scored an own goal
Own goal
An own net occurs in goal-scoring games when a player scores a goal that is registered against his or her own team. It is usually accidental, and may be a result of an attempt at defensive play that failed or was spoiled by opponents....
that put the Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team
The Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team is the national football team of Bosnia and Herzegovina, governed by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
team 1-0 up in another Croatia's home match, but the team eventually managed to get all three points with a tough 3-2 victory. Croatia eventually qualified for the finals after beating Ukraine 3-1 on aggregate in the play-offs, without Ladić playing in the second leg.
Despite Ladić's solid performances for Dinamo Zagreb in the European competition in 1997, his two blunders for the national team were still remembered by many people and made them sceptical when he was chosen as the Croatian national team's starting goalkeeper at the 1998 World Cup finals in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. However, he showed really good shape at the tournament and already distinguished himself in the second group match against Japan
Japan national football team
The Japan national football team represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association, the governing body for association football in Japan...
with a great save of Masashi Nakayama
Masashi Nakayama
is a professional footballer currently playing for Consadole Sapporo of the J. League Division 2, the second-tier professional football league in Japan. Born in Shizuoka, Gon Nakayama attended Fujieda Higashi High School and Tsukuba University before he joined Jubilo Iwata of the Japan Football...
's shot in a one-on-one situation. He once again attracted the attention in the quarterfinals against Germany by saving a header and a volley from Oliver Bierhoff
Oliver Bierhoff
Oliver Bierhoff is a retired German former football striker, who scored the first golden goal in the history of major international football, for Germany in the Euro 96 final...
at close range, helping the Croatian team to record a surprisingly convincing 3-0 victory over the highly-favoured German side. In the semifinals, he was helpless against two Lilian Thuram
Lilian Thuram
Lilian Thuram is a retired professional football defender and is the most capped player in the history of the France national team, and one of the twenty most capped players of all time.He played at the top flight in France, Italy and Spain for over 15 seasons, including ten in the Serie A with both...
's goals that gave France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
a 2-1 victory and a place in the Final, but once again performed well in the third-place match against the Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
, clearing several promising goalscoring chances from the Dutch side and conceding only an unstoppable shot from Boudewijn Zenden for the 1-1 equaliser. Croatia won the match 2-1 in the end and was awarded with bronze medals in their very first World Cup appearance since the country's independence. Ladić was seen by many as one of the three best goalkeepers of the tournament. He appeared in all of the team's seven matches.
Despite initially announcing his withdrawal from the national team following the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Ladić later continued to play for Croatia in the Euro 2000 qualifying and made seven out of possible eight appearances, eventually ending his international career after the final qualifying match against Yugoslavia on October 9, 1999 and Croatia's failure to qualify for the final tournament.
He briefly returned to the Croatian national team for their friendly match against France on May 28, 2000 in Zagreb to make the final appearance of his career, symbolically appearing in the opening ten minutes of the match. As this was his 59th match for the Croatian national team, he played it with an otherwise unusual shirt
Jersey (clothing)
A jersey is an item of knitted clothing, traditionally in wool or cotton, with sleeves, worn as a pullover, as it does not open at the front, unlike a cardigan. It is usually close-fitting and machine knitted in contrast to a guernsey that is more often hand knit with a thicker yarn...
number 59.
Managerial career
When Otto BarićOtto Baric
Otto Barić is a Croatian-Austrian football manager.-1970s to 1980s:Barić started his coaching career in 1969 at West German club Germania Wiesbaden and moved after one season to Austrian club Wacker Innsbruck, where he spent next two seasons and won two consecutive league champions titles before...
took the charge of the Croatian national football team
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
in 2002, Ladić was appointed goalkeeping coach in his coaching staff. He left the post following the UEFA Euro 2004 finals in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, along with the rest of the staff, as their contracts expired after the tournament and were not renewed following Croatia's failure to reach the quarter-finals.
On 9 August 2006, Ladić was appointed head coach of the Croatian national under-21 football team
Croatia national under-21 football team
The Croatia national under-21 football team, also known as Croatia under-21 or Croatia U21 is a youth association football national team which represents Croatia at this age level and is a feeder team for the Croatia national football team....
, replacing Slaven Bilić
Slaven Bilic
Slaven Bilić is a former Croatian footballer and current head coach of the Croatia national team. His playing tenure predominantly comprised extended vocations in his hometown with Hajduk Split and a combination of foreign spells in Germany and England...
, who was appointed head coach of the country's senior national team at the time.
Car accident and sacking
In the early morning of 5 September 2010, hours after an under-21 international between SerbiaSerbia national under-21 football team
The Serbia national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Serbia and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia....
and Croatia, Ladić was involved in a car accident when the Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Mercedes-Benz W211
The Mercedes-Benz W211 is a mid-size luxury car–executive car which was produced by the German automaker Mercedes-Benz from 2002 to 2009, under the E-Class model names. The W211 models replaced the W210 E-Class models and were superseded by the Mercedes-Benz W212 in 2009...
he was driving collided with a Renault Clio
Renault Clio
The Renault Clio is a supermini car produced by the French automobile manufacturer Renault. Originally launched in 1990, it is currently in its third generation...
at a Zagreb road intersection. Both cars were damaged beyond repair and three passengers in the Renault sustained serious injuries. Ladić escaped the accident unhurt. Some eyewitnesses of the accident accused Ladić of a red light violation, which he denied.
He was removed from his position in January 2011, when the Croatian Football Federation accused him of falsifying insurance documents following the car accident. However, within the federation there were, and still are, others who have been charged of felonies and have not been removed from their positions, sparking corruption claims within the media.