Zlatan Ibrahimovic's statue defaced with toilet seat and set on fire by angry Malmo fans

Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic recently acquired co-ownership of Hammarby club in Sweden. The announcement was officially made by the club on social media. However, this has not gone down well with the fans of Irate Malmo football club.

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic had left LA Galaxy recently

Zlatan Ibrahimovic announced that he had left LA Galaxy after a successful stint at the Major League Soccer (MLS). The player was rumoured to be interested in a move to Serie A, particularly to his former club AC Milan. Recently, news of the striker’s co-ownership with Swedish club Hammarby FC was announced. The news has created a stir among the Malmo fans, who had reacted angrily by vandalising and burning Ibrahimovic’s statue.

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A statue of Zlatan Ibrahimovic was built in October, 2019 outside Malmo Stadium

Ibrahimovic’s statue was built outside Malmo’s stadium just last month. The player had started his professional career with Malmo. He spent two seasons (1999-2001) with his home town club. However, the fans did not pay heed to Ibrahimovic’s early affiliation with the club. Before setting the statue on fire, fans also attached a toilet seat to one of the arms and a shirt later draped over his head and tape stuck to the chest.

Kaveh Hosseinpour, vice chairman of Malmo supporters’ group MFF, spoke to local outlet Fotbollskanalen stating that he had not heard anyone who thought that the fans’ reaction was good. Everyone was extremely critical of the fans’ actions. Some were disappointed and angry, while some considered it as an idiotic act. 

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic is less likely to play for Hammarby

Though Ibrahimovic has acquired co-ownership of the club, he is unlikely to play for the club. According to media reports, Ibrahimovic’s agent Mino Riola had confirmed having met with representatives from AC Milan. The player is wanted by many other Serie A sides like Inter Milan and Napoli. It remains to be seen as to which club gets to sign Ibrahimovic. It is believed that the player would be with a new club by the end of the January 2020 transfer window.

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