Paris St. Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimović has apologised on Sunday evening for a foul-mouthed rant that appeared to be aimed at French football following a Ligue 1 match earlier in the day.
The Swedish international was overheard slamming referee Lionel Jaffredo in the mixed media zone of the Stade Jacques Chaban-Delmas; where PSG lost 3-2 to Bordeaux in a league match.
Ibrahimović was angered by calls from the official during the dramatic encounter, before implying that France did not deserve to have a club of PSG’s calibre in the country.
But in a post on his official Facebook page, the former Barcelona, Inter Milan and AC Milan striker tendered an apology for his post-match tirade though maintained his grievance with the referee.
In the post, Ibrahimović stated “Regarding my comments after [Sunday’s] game [at Bordeaux]; they were not against France or the French people. I spoke about football.”
He added that “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.”
Ibrahimović’s latest comments come just days after he referred to Chelsea players as “babies” over their reaction right before he was given a straight red card in the first half of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg clash between both sides in London.