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French soccer is in a tizzy after Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the league's best player, called France a 's--- country' in a postgame rant
(YouTube) Paris Saint-Germain forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic is under fire after calling France a "s--- country" that doesn't deserve a team as good as PSG after the team's 3-2 loss to Bordeaux on Sunday.
He's now under investigation by the French soccer governing body, and a leading right-wing politician said people like him should leave the country.
As he was walking to the locker room after the game, the Swedish star was caught by a Canal+ camera shouting at the referee. Speaking in English, he appeared to say, "Play 15 years, I've never seen a referee in this s--- country. Don't even deserve PSG to be in this country. Too good for all of you."
The video:
He apologized after the game, saying in an Instagram post:
Regarding my comments after tonight's game; they were not against France or 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 if anyone was offended, or took it the wrong way.
Still, the backlash is fully on.
The LFP opened an investigation into the incident. His case will be heard Thursday. He will already miss the first leg of PSG's Champions League quarterfinal because of the red card he got in the win against Chelsea, and he could now face a domestic suspension as well.
The country's sports minister told the AFP that the comments were "insulting."
The story has crossed over from the sports world to the political world. Marine Le Pen, a prominent figure in the country's right-wing National Front, said on French radio, "Those who consider that France is a s--- country can leave it."
Le Pen's party has an anti-immigration stance. In his autobiography, Ibrahimovic writes about growing up as the son of immigrants in Sweden.
A socialist party politician, Jerome Guedj, told AFP: "Let him play football and shut up, or at least be respectful of this country, the football supporters who were also insulted."
France's Ligue 1 has long been considered a tier below Spain's La Liga and England's Premier League. After getting bought by a Qatari group in 2011, PSG has spent vast sums of money in an attempt to break into Europe's elite. Ibrahimovic was one of the first players to join this new incarnation of the team.
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