Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s Statue Toppled And Sawn Off By Vandals In Sweden

The statue of football star Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been pulled down in the Swedish city of Malmo after a month long campaign of vandalism.

The 5kg monument, which is located outside Malmo’s stadium, was cut off at the feet, causing it to topple over on to a wire fence in the early hours of Sunday.

A dark Sweden shirt was draped over the statue’s face. Ibrahimovic, who recently joined Italian side AC Milan, angered fans of his boyhood club Malmo in November after he bought a stake in rivals Hammarby and outlined his desire to make the Stockholm-based team ‘the best in Scandinavia.’

Hours after that announcement, the statue, which was unveiled in October by the Swedish Football Association to commemorate one of the country’s greatest players – was attacked, with vandals attempting to set it on fire and writing racist graffiti next to it.

Last month, there was an attempt to saw off the legs of the bronze statue, while its nose was also cut off. The Swedish football star had filed a ‘hate crime’ complaint after that attack.

Hakan Sjostrand, secretary general of the Sweden’s FA, said: ‘I can understand that there is a disappointment in Malmo but it crosses all boundaries when you vandalise the statue in the way that has happened.’

The statue is being removed but is set to be put back up. There have been no reports of any arrests being made.

Photo Credit: Getty

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