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ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC

‘Doubtful’ if Zlatan can play Brazil friendly

Sweden captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic is doubtful for the midweek international friendly against Brazil because of a bruised foot, the Swedish Football Federation (Svenska Fotbollsförbundet, SvFF) said on Tuesday.

'Doubtful' if Zlatan can play Brazil friendly

The Paris Saint Germain striker “received a kick in the right foot” during Saturday's Ligue 1 opener against Lorient.

“It's nothing serious but he's suffering from swelling and will undergo tests to see if he is fit to train on Tuesday,” the SvFF added.

Sweden coach Erik Hamrén has called up Gothenburg striker Tobias Hysen as a possible replacement.

Ihrahimovic said however he was hopeful of lining out against Brazil.

“It's something big to play against them, a good experience for us before the World Cup qualifiers begin,” he said.

“(Brazil's) Thiago Silva, my teammate in Paris and before that in Milan, is the top defender in the world.”

Ibrahimovic, 31, has scored 33 goals in 80 matches for Sweden and has not missed an international game since a friendly against Qatar last January.

Meanwhile, Pelé and other members of Brazil's 1958 World Cup-winning team are being invited to Stockholm to commemorate their victory against the hosts.

The match on Wednesday will be the last to be staged at the venue before it is demolished, to be replaced by a new 50,000-seat stadium nearby.

The Råsunda Stadium was the centrepiece of the 1958 World Cup finals, and hosted the final, which Brazil won 5-2 against the hosts.

Pelé, aged 17 at the time, netted a brace in that game.

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FOOTBALL

Zlatan statue loses nose in latest Malmö vandalism

The statue of Zlatan Ibrahimovic in Malmö has suffered its latest damage in a string of attacks by vandals.

Zlatan statue loses nose in latest Malmö vandalism
Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

During Saturday night or in the early hours of Sunday, the nose was sawed off the Zlatan statue and the effigy was also covered in silver paint, media including SVT report.

Since being unveiled in the presence of the world-famous footballer in October, the statue has been damaged on several occasions.

At the end of November, Zlatan announced his investment in rival team Hammarby, angering many fans of his hometown club Malmö FF.

READ ALSO: How Malmö fell out of love with Zlatan Ibrahimovic

December has already seen paint poured over the statue and a foot sawn off, with this weekend’s incident adding to the list of crunching tackles against the Zlatan statue.

Police said on Sunday they would investigate the latest instance of vandalism.

“We have not received any reports but have been informed that damage has been seen by the public. We will go out there and make observations this morning,” Katarina Rusin, a press spokesperson for the police in the southern Sweden region, told SVT.

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