AC Milan star Zlatan Ibrahimovic criticized LeBron James and others on Thursday for their activism in what the former LA Galaxy star called ‘politics’.
The outspoken striker said in an interview with UEFA on Thursday for Discovery + in Sweden that although he admires James’ talent, it is a “mistake” when athletes step out of their lanes and become socially and politically involved.
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“[LeBron] is phenomenal in what he does, but I do not like people having a kind of status, but at the same time going to do politics, “Ibrahimovic said. Do what you are good at. Do the category you are doing. I play football because I am the best at playing football.
“I do not do politics. If I were a political politician, I would do politics. This is the first mistake people make when they become famous and they become in a certain status. Stay out there. Just do what you do do your best, because it does not look good. ‘
James was a force for social change and political action. His More Than a Vote organization attracted more than 42,000 volunteers to the polls in November at polling stations, helped some regain their right to vote and campaigned for turnout among black people and young voters.
He also focused on his hometown of Akron, Ohio.
The I Promise school he opened in 2018 now has more than 450 students in third to sixth grade. When the school ended the pandemic, James and his team ensured that students delivered hot meals to their homes – even full Thanksgiving meals. An affordable housing project for 50 families was established this year. And in December, plans for House Three Thirty (a nod to Akron’s area code) were announced, setting out how James will provide things like accessible family programming for financial health, job training and a community gathering.
“I still know what I’m doing on the floor, and of course I’m giving everything to the game,” James told The Associated Press in December. “But I can now make a bigger impact off the floor, more than I can do on the floor. And I want to continue to inspire people about the way I play the game of basketball. But there are so many more things I do. can do from the floor to help cultivate people, inspire people, bring people together and empower them. ‘
His outspokenness, however, was not always well received. In February of 2018, a prominent Conservative commentator famously told him to ‘keep quiet and dribble’ in response to his ‘talk politics’.
During his extremely successful football career, Ibrahimovic made headlines for acrobatic goals, bombastic fame and controversy on the field.
In January, he faced accusations of racism after a clash with Inter’s Romelu Lukaku during a Coppa Italia quarter-final. Ibrahimovic, who often refers to himself in the third person, is accused of using offensive language during his spitting with Lukaku and later posting a message on social media in which he reiterated that he is against racism, with his coach later his allegations supported.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.