Zlatan Ibrahimovic forced to apologise over referee comments

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been forced to apologise after sparking a political row by attacking a referee and calling France a "shit country".

Politicians waded into the Paris Saint-Germain player with Marine Le Pen of the far-right Front National telling the Swedish striker that if he did not like France he could leave. Ibrahimovic will face a Professional Football League disciplinary hearing on Thursday.

In the corridor after the match, which PSG lost to Bordeaux 3-2, a furious Ibrahimovic was caught on film swearing and railing against the referee.

He can be clearly heard shouting in English: “Wake up, wake up . . . we’re not amateurs. F****** asshole. I’ve never seen this in my 15 years playing football. I’ve been playing for 15 years and I’ve never seen [good] refereeing in this shit country. They don’t even deserve PSG in this country.”

Le Pen, whose party is expected to make important gains in local elections, told radio listeners on Monday: “Those who consider that France is a shit country can leave it. There. It’s as simple as that.”

Asked if the football authorities should discipline Ibrahimovic, Le Pen replied: “That’s the least they could do”.

The striker's outburst brought opprobrium across the political spectrum. The French sports minister, Patrick Kanner, tweeted: "Ibrahimovic's disappointment doesn't justify his insults towards the referee and the country that has welcomed him. He should apologise."

Jérôme Guedj, an MP with the governing Socialist Party, said: “Let him play football and shut up, or at least show some respect towards this country and football supporters who were also insulted.”

Ibrahimovic said his remarks were directed at the referee Lionel Jaffredo and insisted he was not targeting “France or the French”.

“I spoke about football. 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,” he wrote.

In his defence, Ibrahimovic said he had lost his temper. “I was angry. Everyone knows in that situation they often say things without thinking. I apologise if people felt offended.”

In a front-page headline, Le Parisian newspaper described Ibrahimovic's behaviour as "unacceptable".

Ibrahimovic scored twice but PSG’s defeat mean they trail Lyon by two points at the top of Ligue 1. The striker was angered when Jaffredo failed to award PSG a free-kick after the Bordeaux goalkeeper Cédric Carrasso picked up a back pass from the defender Ludovic Sané.

His outburst came less than a week after he accused Chelsea players of acting “like babies” after he was sent off during PSG’s Champions League victory on away goals.

(Guardian service)