• Former Malmö player has bought stake in rivals Hammarby • Bronze statue has been target of repeated attacks

This article is more than 8 months old

This article is more than 8 months old

After weeks of vandalism, the controversial statue of Zlatan Ibrahimovic in Malmö has finally been knocked over.

The monument, which is located outside Malmö FF’s stadium, was cut off at the feet, causing it to topple over onto a wire fence on Sunday night. A dark Sweden soccer t-shirt was draped over the statue’s face.

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Ibrahimovic, who recently rejoined Milan in Serie A, angered fans of Malmö, his boyhood club, in November when he bought a stake in one of its Swedish title rivals, Hammarby, and outlined his desire to make the Stockholm-based team “the best in Scandinavia.”

Hours after that was announced, the statue of Ibrahimovic – unveiled in October by the Swedish Football Association to commemorate one of the country’s greatest players – was attacked, with vandals attempting to set it on fire and writing racist graffiti next to it.

Last month, there was an attempt to saw off the legs of the bronze statue, which was sprayed silver while its nose was also cut off.

“I can understand that there is a disappointment in Malmö, but it crosses all boundaries when you vandalise the statue in the way that has happened,” Hakan Sjostrand, secretary general of the Swedish football association, said.

The statue is being removed but is set to be put back up. There are no reports of any arrests being made.