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FOOTBALL

Ibrahimovic confirms national team hiatus

Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has said he lacks motivation to play for the Swedish national team following the side's failure to qualify for this summer's World Cup.

Ibrahimovic confirms national team hiatus

“I am not motivated,” the 28-year-old striker told a news conference after a training session when asked about his future with the Swedish national team.

“It is a huge honour to play for the squad but we should wait to see what will happen in the future. At the moment I have other things on my mind.”

Ibrahimovic, who has scored 22 goals in 62 internationals, was voted Sweden’s player of the year for the fourth straight time last month for his exploits with Inter Milan and the national team ahead of his move to Barca.

While he has dazzled for Barca and Inter Milan — he was named Italian Player of the Year in 2009 — Ibrahimovic has at times struggled to score for Sweden.

The Swedes will miss out on playing in South Africa next year after appearing in the last five major football championships: the European championships in 2000, 2004 and 2008 and the World Cups of 2002 and 2006.

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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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