Tuesday, November 23, 2021
“I would do it again”
Ibrahimovic glorifies his nasty foul
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is known for wonderful football. And for some rude fouls. He’s doing one of those things in the World Cup qualifier against Spain. That’s why he will be absent at the beginning of the playoffs. But that doesn’t bother the Swedes at all. He now explains why it was worth it to him.
The opponent has not yet been determined, but it is already clear: Whoever has to play against Sweden in the playoffs for the World Cup will breathe a sigh of relief. Because Zlatan Ibrahimovic will initially be absent. The 40-year-old had made a bad foul in stoppage time against Spain (0: 1) and saw a yellow card for it. The decisive card that led to the yellow card ban.
You would think that is unnecessary, but Ibrahimovic himself says that “Guardian“convinced:” I would do it again. 100 percent. That’s me. “At a corner of the Swedes Ibrahimovic had rammed his left shoulder into the back of the Spaniard Cesar Azpilicueta, the Chelsea captain slammed his face into the man in front of him, then crashed to the ground.
Ask for forgiveness? Remorse? None of this is Sweden’s business. “I did it on purpose and I’m not ashamed to say that. Because he did something stupid to one of my team-mates,” Ibrahimovic told the newspaper. Azpilicueta played “the great man”. The Milan striker did not say exactly what it was about and who the Swedish teammate Azpilicueta spoke to was.
He could or should have seen red for the foul, if the experts had their way. Ibrahimovic, however, stands by his act, which he classifies as “stupid”. “I did it anyway, to make it clear to him, ‘You damn well don’t do that. You don’t have the balls to do it to me. I’ll show you what happens if you do that.’ That’s why I did it. ”
“Don’t make fun of anyone”
Ibrahimovic is obviously less about the game than about the gesture. The fact that he is now suspended – and so cannot help his team in the fight for the World Cup ticket for Qatar for the time being – does not bother him. “That’s not the point,” he says. It sounds like he wanted to give Azpilicueta an educational measure with the rude foul: “It’s about making it clear to the guy that you don’t make fun of anyone who is on the ground. You don’t attack a dog that doesn’t talk. Attack whoever is able to do something. It’s too easy to bully my teammates, who are 20 and very nice. I hope he understands that now. ”
The 32-year-old Azpilicueta was not seriously injured from the foul. He didn’t respond to the foul either. On Instagram, however, he preferred to post cheering pictures from the successful World Cup qualification with Spain.
The playoff draw will take place on November 26th. Based on the table situation it is clear that Sweden will have a home game in the semi-finals. Ibrahimovic then has to watch.