Published 12:30 IST, March 3rd 2021
Zlatan Ibrahimovic clarifies LeBron James comments: 'Politics Divides The World'
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has reaffirmed his views on athletes doing politics after his comments on Lakers star LeBron James last week stirred controversy.
AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic created a social media maelstrom after he slammed LeBron James' activism last week. The former Swedish international had hit ou at the Los Angeles Lakers star for mixing sports and politics which resulted in a war of words between the two high-profile athletes. Ibrahimovic has now doubled-down on his criticism yet again, re-affirming his views that 'athletes should stick to sports'.
Ibrahimovic on LeBron James criticism: 'Athletes unite the world, politics divides the world'
Speaking at San Remo 2021 festival on Tuesday, Zlatan Ibrahimovic clarified his comments that stirred controversy with LeBron James, further hitting back at the NBA superstar. The AC Milan striker said, "Racism and politics are two different things. We athletes unite the world, politics divides the world. Everyone is welcome, it has nothing to do with where you are from, we do what we do to unite. We don’t do other things because we are not good at it, otherwise, I would be in politics. That’s my message. Athletes must be athletes, politicians must be politicians". Zlatan's comments on LeBron James activism did not sit well with many including NBA star Isiah Thomas and the Warriors' Juan Toscano-Anderson, with the latter suggesting that the striker's comments were a reflection of his privilege.
LeBron James has been a giant in the NBA landscape since bursting onto the scene and has been a similar presence off the court by playing his part in voicing his opinion on several issues. The Lakers star was one of the leaders of NBA's Black Lives Matter support and has been a driving force against social injustice. Ibrahimovic while speaking to Discovery+ last week had said that while LeBron James is a phenomenal player, but he doesn't like it when people have some kind of status and they go and do politics at the same time. The former Manchester United striker said, "Do what you're good at. Do the category you do. I play football because I'm the best at playing football. I don't do politics. If I would be a political politician, I would do politics. That is the first mistake people do when they become famous and they reach a certain status. Stay out of it. Just do what you do best because it doesn't look good".
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The Lakers star was quick to hit back the Ibrahimovic politics jibe, suggesting that 'he was the wrong guy to have a go at'. James said, "I preach about my people and I preach about equality. Social injustice, racism, systematic voter suppression, things that go on in our community. There is no way I will ever just stick to sports because I know with this platform, how powerful my voice is". The NBA superstar further labelled Ibrahimovic as a hypocrite after the former Juventus striker had talked about discrimination in Sweden back in 2018.
(Image Courtesy: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, LeBron James Instagram)
Updated 12:30 IST, March 3rd 2021