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What did the Sultan do?
Legendary Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic has sparked a storm of criticism and controversy after he announced during his work as a sports analyst for Fox Sports that he would support Croatia at the 2026 World Cup, ignoring his father’s homeland of Bosnia and Herzegovina in a statement that circulated among fans.
The American TV channel revealed in an analysis of the groups that Ibrahimovic, who represented Sweden 122 times and scored 62 goals, surprised everyone by declaring his football allegiance to Croatia, his mother’s homeland, even though his father is of Bosnian origin.
When asked about his favorite group in the tournament, Zlatan expressed his excitement for Group L, saying: “England is there, will the cup go home, we’ll see,” and then he added.
The announcement was enough to spark anger in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is also participating in the World Cup, as many believed that Ibrahimovic had denied his patriarchal roots and offended Bosnian fans.
There were angry comments on the Swedish star on social networks, one of which wrote: “You’re a traitor, your father is Bosnian, you’re a complete idiot,” while another commented more moderately. “He might as well have said he supported Bosnia.”
Croatian fans, on the other hand, reacted with mixed feelings, ranging between pride and regret, as one of them wrote: “You should have played with us in your time. We would win the 2018 World Cup,” while another commented:
Not only did Ibrahimovic announce his encouragement for Croatia, but he went on to analyze Group L in his usual sarcastic style, noting that Ghana has “very talented” players, before taking a harsh swipe at Panama, saying:
