Zlatan Ibrahimovic statue vandalised again with saw marks visible on feet

Vandals have tried to topple a statue of striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic outside Malmo Stadium in Sweden by sawing at its feet, prompting police to erect a fence around it, the BBC has reported.

The statue has been a target of angry fans at Ibrahimovic's hometown club ever since Sweden's record international goalscorer announced he had acquired a stake in a rival team.

Ibrahimovic made his name at Malmo FF before a trophy-laden career abroad but the announcement that he had taken a nearly 25% stake in Stockholm club Hammarby led Malmo fans to vent their ire on the 3.5-metre tall statue outside their club.

Fans scorched the statue with flares and sprayed racist messages on the ground nearby hours after the announcement on Nov. 27.

.

Keep Reading

•  Climate change brought extreme weather, heat in 2024: UN
•  Africa's opportunity in taming a warming world
•  World falls short of drought deal at Saudi-hosted talks
•  Reverent politics key to climate action
•  There is need to raise visibility of climate impact on health

A Malmo police spokeswoman told the BBC that vandals had placed a rope around the neck of the statue in the early hours of Thursday morning and tried to saw through its feet.

"There is a risk now it could fall and we have placed a fence around it," the spokeswoman added.