Ex Man Utd star Zlatan defends Djokovic: No one should be forced to be vaccinated

FT Desk

• 23 Jan 2022 14:49 GMT
• 3 min read

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has defended tennis superstar Novak Djokovic in the wake of the recent vaccination controversy and says that footballers shouldn’t be forced to be jabbed in order to play.

Djokovic was deported from Australia and had his visa cancelled last week, meaning he was unable to play in the Australian Open tennis championships.

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The unvaccinated Serbian was kicked out of the country by Australia’s Immigration Minister Alex Hawke due to concerns that Djokovic would incite “civil unrest” and drum up “anti-vaccination sentiment”.

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This caused great controversy and division over whether this was the right decision to make, both from a medical, sporting and human rights point of view.

It is also a debate that entered the footballing sphere as a number of nations – including Italy and France – consider whether to prevent unvaccinated footballers from playing in their countries.

What did Zlatan say about Djokovic?

Milan star Ibrahimovic, who is vaccinated, says that it was wrong to ban Djokovic.

"Getting vaccinated for health reasons is not the same as taking part in a tennis tournament,” ex Man Utd striker Zlatan told Journal du Dimanche.

“Those who get vaccinated do so because they believe in it and think it is effective against the disease.

“But everyone has their opinion.”

Italy is one of the strictest countries in the world with regards to COVID vaccination.

A Super Green Pass, which is proof of vaccination or recent recovery from COVID, is required by citizens for many basic aspects of life such as outdoor dining, public transport, access to hotels, restaurants and stadiums and more.

A law was also set to be passed which required all footballers in Serie A to be vaccinated, with the unvaccinated unable to play in Italy’s top-flight any longer.

This has not been passed yet, though, and is something Zlatan is very much against.

“People shouldn't be forced to get vaccinated just to go to work,” the Swede sniped.

“I got vaccinated because I think it's the best way to protect myself, not to play football. These are two different situations.”

Ibrahimovic is next in action on Sunday evening when Milan take on Juventus at San Siro in a big Serie A clash.