The Guardian
Zlatan Ibrahimovic counters criticism of LeBron James
The Milan striker thinks that athletes should stay out of politics. Ibrahimovic’s search for personal capital reaches a new level Zlatan Ibrahimovic countered his criticisms of athletes who mix politics and sports. The Milan striker was speaking on Tuesday at a press conference for the San Remo music festival, which he co-organizes. “Athletes unite the world, politics divide it,” he said. “Our role is to bring the world together by doing what we do best. Athletes must be athletes and politicians must make politics ”. Last week, Ibrahimovic singled out Los Angeles star LeBron James for bringing politics to the sports arena. “I like [James] much. He’s phenomenal, what he’s doing, but I don’t like it when people with status talk about politics. Do what you do well, ”Ibrahimovic told Uefa and Discovery + in Sweden. “I play football because I’m the best football player, I don’t do politics. If I were a politician, I would be doing politics. This is the first mistake that famous people make when they become famous: for me it is better to avoid certain subjects and do what you do well, otherwise you risk doing something wrong. James, who was one of the NBA’s leading voices against racial injustice and police brutality, rejected Ibrahimovic’s comments. “I will never shut up about things that are wrong. I preach about my people and I preach about equality, social justice, racism, electoral repression – things that happen in our community, ”he said last week. “Because I was part of my community at one point and I saw the things that were going on, and I know what is still going on because I have a group of more than 300 children in my school who are going through the same thing and they need One voice. “I am their voice and I use my platform to continue to shed light on everything that may be happening, not just in my community, but in this country and around the world.” James also pointed out that Ibrahimovic, who once said that Muhammad Ali is his favorite athlete because of “what he did in and out of the ring”, has talked about politics in the past. “He’s the guy who said in Sweden, he was talking about the same things, because his last name was not a [traditional Swedish] last name, he felt there was some racism going on, ”said James. “I speak with a very polite mind. I’m the wrong kind of guy to go to, because I do my homework. ”At Tuesday’s press conference, Ibrahimovic also spoke about his recent confrontation with his former Manchester United teammate Romelu Lukaku. The two faced off during a recent Milan derby. “If he wants to come [to San Remo] he is welcome, ”said Ibrahimovic. “What happens on the field remains on the field.”