Zalatan Ibrahimovic is forced to apologize after ranting against the Referee when PSG lost to Bordeaux
Paris Saint-Germain’s top player Zlatan Ibrahimovic faces a long suspension after losing his temper following the champions’ 3-2 loss at Bordeaux in the French league on Sunday. Ibra vented his anger at decisions which went against his side in, initially talking to the fourth official, he appeared to have said: “F–ing wake up, we’re not playing in the amateurs. Wake up! I have never seen that in 15 years in my career, such a referee in this s— country. You don’t even deserve PSG to be in this country.” The Swedish forward later said he was sorry after the French sports minister asked him to apologise for the comments, which were caught on camera and then shown widely on social media and the Swede subsequently did: “Regarding my comments after tonight’s game: they were not against France nor the French people. I spoke about football. I lost the game, I accept that, but I can’t accept when the referee doesn’t follow the rules. It’s not the first time, and I’m sick of it. My sincere apologies, goes to anyone that was offended, or took it the wrong way.”
Sports minister Patrick Kanner later used Twitter to describe Ibrahimovic’s clarification as “a welcome apology from this great champion.” The Sweden forward scored twice in Sunday’s match but could not prevent his team from slumping to its third league defeat this season. Ibrahimovic, who only recently returned from a two-match ban following an altercation with a Saint-Etienne player and a third yellow card in 10 matches, has never been shy of controversy. After he was sent off for a late challenge on Oscar in the first half of PSG’s match at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday in the Champions League, Ibrahimovic described the Chelsea players as a bunch of “babies.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, one of the most expensive footballers in the history of the game, having cost various clubs more than £150 million in transfer fees, is a person who lives life to the fullest and expects to be the center of attention wherever he goes. All through his career playing for clubs all over Europe he has been mired in controversy in some form or the other with opponents, tea-mates, referees and managers. One of the most high profile cases was his altercation with former Barcelona manager, Pep Guardiola, whom he labelled a coward with no balls. He had an intense tussle with an AC Milan teammate at training and has also clouted opponents in the face playing for the Rossoneri in Serie A.
Ibra might be unstable off the pitch but he is a top performer on the field. Despite being one of the most underrated footballers in the modern era, here is a player who has won eight straight league titles with five different clubs in three different countries. His audacious overhead bicycle kick against England in a friendly when he scored four goals was just one glimpse of his ability. However, with just two goals so far in the Champions League competition this season, questions are being raised about his commitment to the game or his big fat pay cheque. A top football expert is convinced that Ibra will continue to rock the boat in his own inimitable fashion, and will remain one of the most outspoken players of our age, but will he ever be a European Champion?