Why was the statue of Ibrahimovic destroyed in Sweden?

Malmo fans have reacted angrily to striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic's purchase of shares in the Swedish league rivals Hammerby by sabotaging his statue outside Malmo Stadium.

Ibrahimovic, 38, Sweden's top scorer with 62 goals in 116 appearances, was announced on Wednesday to buy 25 percent of Hammerby, who finished third in the league this season.

Ibrahimovic has said he wants to turn Hammerby into the biggest team in the Scandinavian region, angering fans of his former team Malmo, who made his name before a career full of titles in the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, England, France and the United States.

Local media reported that the crowd vandalized the "Sultan" statue, which was unveiled on 8 October in the presence of the Swedish striker and wrote racist abuse.

Police spokesman Jimmy Maureen told AVC, referring to an investigation into the incident, that "many of the public had destroyed the statue."