Zlatan Ibrahimovic statue set alight and vandalised by angry Malmö fans

A statue of Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been set alight and vandalised by angry Malmö FF fans, after the Swedish football star bought a stake in rival club Hammarby.

One fan started the protest by putting a toilet seat on the striker’s statue in the city.

Having placed the loo seat on the statue’s head, which made it look something like a halo, the supporter told a reporter: “I think he is a piece of s***, to be honest.”

Later, Blatte Ultras 04, a hardcore Malmo supporters group, recorded the moment when fans used flares to set the statue alight.

The 3.5m tall bronze sculpture was only unveiled on October 8.

A police spokesman said an investigation into the vandalism is underway.

Ibrahimovic has acquired approximately a quarter of the Stockholm club, which came third in the top-tier league last season, one place below Malmö.

“Recently he's said all this stupid stuff, which I don't agree with, but I have supported him anyway, said Karl, the Malmö fan who put the toilet seat on the statue's head.

“Now he pays us back by engaging in Hammarby, which is a big betrayal. He usually says that you shouldn't forget where you come from, but apparently he has forgotten that now."

The 38-year-old striker said he couldn’t say no to the opportunity.

“Not to people who are so successful in business,” he said, adding he hoped to make the club the biggest in Scandinavia.

Sweden’s record international goal-scorer with 62 goals in 116 games, Ibrahimovic was born in Malmö and signed his first contract with the club.