Sports Almanac:

Zlatan tattoos for WHO hunger project.. Frenchman wins Rally Sweden. 'Chippen' retires. 

  • Christian Wilhelmsson at the Euro 2012 match against France. Wikimedia Commons
  • Tats all folks
    Zlatan Ibrahimovic says he removed his shirt after scoring against Caen on February 14 in a bid to draw attention to world famine by displaying his new tattoos.
    Ibrahimovic peeled off his shirt after his goal in the second minute for the defending French champion and was shown a yellow card for doing so. He will now miss the match against Monaco in two weeks due to the suspension.
    ''When I took my shirt off against Caen, everybody asked what these new tattoos were. I had 50 removable tattoos on my body, they are the names of real people who are suffering from hunger in the world,'' Ibrahimovic said Sunday. ''(While) those tattoos have gone now, these people are still here ... I hope that you can see them through me.''
    The Swede said he agreed to the venture to raise awareness for the United Nations' World Food Program — which fights against hunger worldwide.
    ''Wherever I go people recognize me, call my name, cheer me. But there are names no one cheers for,'' the imposing Sweden forward said. ''If I could, I would write every single name on my body. But there are 805 million people suffering from hunger in the world today ... so whenever you hear my name, you will think of their names. Whenever you see me, you will see them.''
    Marina Catena, director of the WFP in France, said that Ibrahimovic's huge worldwide popularity made him the ideal person to work with.
    ''I had a dream that someone could convey this message in a simple way. We thought of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is always asked for his autograph,'' Catena said. ''So why shouldn't it be Zlatan who has the autographs on his body this time? We're proud that he accepted to convey this message.''

  • Frenchman wins Rally Sweden. Ana Lena Bengtsson/Bildbyran
  • Frenchman wins Rally Sweden
    Sebastien Ogier earned his second victory of the season by winning Rally Sweden in Karlstad February 15 after coming from behind on the final stage when his two main rivals went off the road.
    The Frenchman was only third in his Volkswagen Polo going into the final stage but first overtook teammate Andreas Mikkelsen when the Norwegian's car hit a snow bank and spun. Leader Thierry Neuville of Belgium then hit a snow bank and lost time, settling for second place. Mikkelsen was third.
    Ogier said, "It's a crazy win because I had to push flat out from the beginning of the rally to the end. I made only one mistake on Friday and apart from that I'm proud to have kept the car on the road at that level of speed."
    He won the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally in January and is the defending world champion.

  • Zlatan Ibrahimovic peeled off his shirt to show off 50 removable tattoos with the names of people who are suffering from hunger in the world. Bildbyrån photo
  • Adieu, 'Chippen'
    Christian Wilhelmsson nicknamed Chippen, has ended a nomadic career during which he scored nine goals in 79 appearances for Sweden and played for a slew of clubs in Europe, the Middle East and United States.
    The 35-year-old said a persistent toe injury was the reason for his retirement.
    "It's been a fantastic journey and I've played in all the big leagues apart form Germany," Wilhelmsson told the Fotbollskanalen website (fotbollskanalen.se).
    He started out at Mjällby before going on to represent Bolton Wanderers, AS Roma, Deportivo La Coruna and Los Angeles Galaxy. Wilhelmsson also featured for teams in Norway, Belgium, France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates before returning to Mjällby in 2014.
    A close friend of Sweden captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the winger told Fotbollskanalen that he intends to live in Doha "to help both players and clubs" in the Middle East.