Zlatan Ibrahomvic's Statue In His Hometown Vandalised and Toppled

The bronze statue of Zlatan Ibrahimovic in his hometown of Malmo has been vandalized and toppled by the angry football fans on Saturday night.

Malmo FF is where Zlatan started his career and was honored with a statue erected in the city, but since November, it has been the target by the club's fans over the former Manchester United player's choice to invest in Stockholm-side Hammarby.

The 38-year-old was dubbed as "Judas" by Malmo's fans with the name painted on his house front door and they later broke his statue's nose before finally bringing it down to the floor by sawing it at the ankles.

Malmo's angry fans vandalized Zlatan Ibrahimovic's statue for investing his Hammarby

"I can understand that many people are disappointed in Zlatan's behavior," Malmo deputy mayor Frida Trollmyr told AFP.com. "Vandalizing a statute is simply unworthy. Better to express your dissatisfaction in a democratic way."

Before the 3.5-meter structure was toppled, Zlatan had reported a "hate crime" complaint to the authority when the fans attempted to set it ablaze and battered with paint. In spite of that, they prevailed and sawed it to crash on the floor.

The statue was unveiled in October 2019 and a month later the former Paris Saint-Germain player was announced as a majority shareholder in Hammarby after purchasing a 25% stake in the club.