Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s decision to invest in a rival Stockholm team caused a rage among his fans in Malmö, his native city. Ac The Local Sweden reports, vandals have pulled down a 2.7m statue of Malmö-born athlete in apparent revenge at his unpatriotic move.
Malmö police have registered the fact of vandalism at around 1.30 am on Sunday morning. The statue of footballer Ibrahimovic was toppled by the unknown attackers.
On Sunday night, Malmö vandals sawed both legs off Zlatan’s bronze statue, after which it fell over, crushing the fence erected to protect it. According to police rapport, the attackers then pulled a black Swedish national football t-shirt over the statue’s head. In addition, the back of the statue was sprayed with the words ‘ta bort’ (‘take away’).
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a real star to the locals, especially football fans. The vandalization of athlete’s statue could be an act of possible revenge for his decision to invest in the Stockholm team, the police suggest. The damage had been discovered by police about an hour after it happened, Thomas Söderberg of Malmö Police confirmed.
Zlatan’s statue has been vandalized several times
The bronze statue has a hard history since October when it was unveiled outside Malmö’s city stadium. The statue has been vandalized several times since Ibrahimovic announced that he was taking staking in Hammarby IF.
Shortly after the announcement in November, a noose was placed around the statue’s neck, with the words “Cigani dö” (die gypsy) daubed in paint nearby.
In December, the statue’s nose was cut off, and the statue itself was splashed with silver paint.
