Sweden's forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic points his hand during the Euro 2016 group E football match between Ireland and Sweden at the Stade de France stadium in Saint-Denis, near Paris, on June 13, 2016. PHOTO: AFP
STOCKHOLM: Star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was on Wednesday named in an initial 35-man Sweden squad for the Rio Olympics in August.
The squad will be whittled down to 22 players in mid-July, with only three of those squad members to be born before 1993.
I never touched the balls, says Blatter on ‘fixed’ European draws
Along with Ibrahimovic, 34, the enlarged squad includes only two other players currently featuring at the European championships in France: defenders Victor Lindelof, 21, and Ludwig Augustinsson, 22.
Coach Hakan Eriksson said the problem he faced was being able to find clubs ready to release players for the August 5-21 Olympics.
"It's a headache, extremely complicated," Eriksson said.
FIFA slams 'shameful scenes' at Euro 2016
"Some clubs say yes, others no, and others have not yet decided."
Ibrahimovic is out of contract with Paris Saint-Germain after four seasons in Ligue 1, but is yet to commit to a new club, although Manchester United are rumoured to be favourites to seal his signing.
1713425884-0/Tribune-Collage-Feature-Images-(10)1713425884-0-270x192.webp)
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ