Ibrahimovic apologises for expletive-laden rant
France football officials will investigate PSG striker’s outburst against refeering standards after club’s loss.
Published On 16 Mar 2015
Paris St Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s expletive-laden rant decrying refereeing standards in French football will be investigated later this week.
The Professional Football League (LFP), the governing body of French club football, issued a statement on Monday saying the matter will be taken up by its disciplinary committee on March 19.
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I was talking about football and not something else. I was speaking in anger.
Following PSG’s 3-2 Ligue 1 defeat by Girondins Bordeaux on Sunday, Ibrahimovic said: “In 15 years I’ve never seen a (good) referee in this shit country … (they) don’t even deserve PSG.”
The Swedish international has since apologised for remarks he was heard saying in Canal Plus TV footage, comments that prompted French sports minister Patrick Kanner to call on him to say sorry.
“Ibrahimovic’s disappointment does not justify his remarks towards the referee and the country that hosts him. He will have to apologise,” Kanner said on Twitter and the PSG forward responded almost immediately.
“My remarks were not aimed at France or the French people,” the Swede said in a statement. “I was talking about football and not something else. I was speaking in anger. I wish to apologise if people felt offended.”
Ibrahimovic is not the first big-name player to speak unflatteringly about France recently. Bayern Munich’s France winger Franck Ribery told Germany’s Bild-Zeitung last month he could consider taking German citizenship and staying in Germany after his playing career.
Source: Reuters