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FOOTBALL

Zlatan’s boasting draws fire from former Inter teammate

Comments by Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic suggesting he was responsible for the success of Inter Milan have prompted a backlash from former teammate Marco Materazzi.

Zlatan's boasting draws fire from former Inter teammate
A confident Zlatan celebrates a goal scored for Inter in October 2008

Earlier this week the big Sweden forward claimed Inter had won nothing for 17 years before he joined the club but with him they won three straight scudetto crowns, a statement which irked Materazzi.

Ibrahimovic moved to Barcelona from Inter during the summer and his quotes will surely stir things up ahead of the Champions League clash between his current and former employers at the San Siro on Wednesday.

“Thanks for the three titles Ibra and we’ll see you on Wednesday,” said Materazzi ominously from the Homeless World Cup in Milan, which he attended on Thursday.

Ibrahimovic’s statement was made when asked what kind of welcome he was expecting from the Inter faithful.

“I don’t know what kind of welcome awaits me but I know that the true fans know what I did for Inter,” he said.

“And they know that before I arrived they hadn’t won for 17 years and then they won three titles, and I was there three years.”

Inter were actually also awarded the title by default in 2006 — meaning they have won four in a row — after Juventus and AC Milan were handed point deductions for match-fixing.

Ibrahimovic was at Juve then but as the Old Lady of Turin were relegated for their role in the scandal, he jumped ship and joined Inter, where he then went on to win three titles in three years.

Speaking about Ibra’s likely reception, Materazzi had some advice for the fans.

“The thing that can hurt a person the most is indifference. He helped us win three titles but we were a team,” he said.

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RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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