ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVC HAS has joked that he should receive a 40-match ban for his alleged elbow on David Alaba during Sweden’s Euro 2016 qualifier with Austria in Vienna on Monday night.
The home players were furious when the Swedish striker escaped a red card for catching Bayern Munich’s Alaba in the face with his right arm.
However Zlatan, who stands 1.95 metres tall, insisted that it was an accidental collision caused by the difference in height between two players.
“He [Alaba] goes into me twice and the third time I try to shield the ball and he [Alaba] is 1.50m or 1.60m tall and then it’s clear that he’s struck by my elbow,” he told reporters after the game.
“But the referee blew for a free-kick so of course he has got the situation under control.
“But if not, I should get a 40-match ban!”
Alaba clearly felt that contact was deliberate while team-mate Aleksandar Dragovic accused the referee, Pavel Kralovec, of being too afraid of the consequences of dismissing Ibrahimovic.
“It was a red card for me,” the defender stated. “The referee was scared of Zlatan.”
Ibrahimovic had an eventful 100th appearance for Sweden, as not only did he clash with Alaba, he also set up his country’s equaliser, for Erkan Zengin, before later being booked for a late challenge on Martin Harnik.
