Will Fallout With Supporters Be the End of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s Time at PSG?
Zlatan Ibrahimovic may be the main reason for PSG’s success this season, but his words have caused a bit of drama in Paris this week. The striker cannot seem to stop scoring for the Ligue 1 side, but former PSG players and managers have spoken out about the lack of respect the Sweden international is showing his club.
The situation started following the team’s match with struggling Nancy this past Saturday at the Parc des Princes in Paris. PSG went down 1-0 on a goal from Benjamin Moukandjo, and headed into halftime with the same score. The PSG faithful let their team hear it during the first half, with boos being heard throughout the stadium. The Paris side eventually came back and won 2-1 in the match, with Ibrahimovic scoring both goals, and the Swedish striker was less than impressed with the supporters’ reaction to the game.
After the victory, Ibrahimovic was quoted as saying:
People are very demanding in Paris…It is a bit bizarre when you think of what things were like before. Because, before, there was nothing. Try and play these games yourselves and then you will understand. I have played for lots of clubs and won titles everywhere but it is never easy to win games like these
Many former PSG players were quick to jump on the striker for his comments, particularly the claim that the club “was nothing” prior to their new Qatari owners. Luis Fernandez, a former Ligue 1 winner with PSG, defended the club by saying:
He needs to show a bit of humility, a bit of respect…He says what he wants, but maybe he doesn’t know the history of French football. We have been world champions, Marseille have been European champions. PSG have won a European trophy too. The most important thing is to respect the history of the club
The former PSG player and coach continued by saying that being booed is normal in Paris, and that the supporters have a right to be frustrated by poor play from a side with so much talent and money being poured into it.
Zlatan is disappointed at being booed, but everyone has been booed in that stadium, even me. The fans pay to see a spectacle and they certainly expect a bit more than what they are getting.
Fernandez was not the only one to speak out against Ibrahimovic’s comment, with former player Vincent Guerin and former scouting assistant Alain Roche also having things to say. Roche advised the striker to “watch what he says,” while Guerin noted that “The club will always exist, with or without him.”
These are some very strong words from influential people for PSG, and it remains to be seen whether Ibrahimovic, who leads the club with 24 Ligue 1 goals this term, will have a place in the side next season. The team would surely hate to the lose the striker’s production, with their next best scorer only contributing five goals, but with other European clubs certainly interested in the striker, his harsh words for the PSG fans may seal his fate.
