Imagine this: the city of Zagreb, under Mayor Tomislav Tomašević, rented out space for Marko Perković Thompson’s concert at the hippodrome and earned – a laughable 1.99 euros! Yes, you read that right, less than two euros for an event attended by nearly 20,000 people! Former city councilor Renato Petek exposes this contractual disaster that cost the city hundreds of thousands of euros in potential revenue. But that’s not all – the contract is so poorly written that it lacks even basic protections for the city. No penalties for exceeding the number of attendees, no sanctions for bringing in forbidden symbols, and a security deposit of a mere 24 euros! The organizer could sell as many tickets as they wanted, and the city was left powerless.
Petek claims this is a prime example of complete incompetence and legal irresponsibility by the city authorities. And was this all a coincidence? No! The concert was held just before local elections, at a time when the mayor’s support was declining. The goal? To divert attention from real issues like waste management, traffic, and other municipal problems to ideological divisions.
The city of Zagreb allowed a high-risk commercial event, yet the financial gain was symbolic. The costs and risks were borne by the citizens, while the organizer enjoyed freedom without any restrictions. Tomašević later threatened to invoice the organizer for additional costs, but this was not agreed upon in the contract and is legally unenforceable.
This is not just a story about one concert, but about how Zagreb manages its city property – poorly, irresponsibly, and without protecting the public interest. If you’re wondering how the city could be so easily duped, check out the documents Petek published and think – is this really acceptable? Or is it time for someone to seriously address this issue? What do you think? Is this just another political stunt or a real problem costing us all? Drop a comment, let the people’s voice be heard!
