AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic reaffirmed his belief that athletes should “follow sports” while directing comments aimed at Los Lakers star LeBron James.
At a press conference Tuesday before the start of the Italian music festival Sanremo, which Ibrahimovic is co-hosting, he addressed his comments.
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“Athletes unite the world, politics divides it,” he said. “Our role is to unite the world by doing what we do best. Athletes should be athletes and politicians should do politics.”
During an interview with UEFA on Discovery + in Sweden on Thursday, Ibrahimovic had said: “[LeBron] it’s phenomenal in terms of it, but I don’t like it when people have some kind of status, go and do politics at the same time.
“Do what you’re good at. Do the category you do. I play football because I’m the best at playing football.
“I don’t do politics. If I were a political politician, I would do politics. This is the first mistake people make when they become famous and have a certain status. Stay on the sidelines. Do what you do best, because it doesn’t look well “.
The comments sparked a response from James, who said he speaks “from a very polite mind, so I’m a wrong person to go to, because I do my homework.”
Ibrahimovic also tackled his well-known clash with Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku during the Coppa Italia quarter-final meeting on January 26, which ended with both players receiving a yellow card. .
Although the two men had to be restrained by their respective teammates while trading in insults, the Swedish striker said there is no bad blood between him and his former Manchester United teammate.
“If he [Lukaku] he wants to come [to Sanremo], is welcome, “Ibrahimovic added.” Whatever happens on the pitch stays on the pitch. “