burnley Defender Hjalmar Ekdal has admitted he has been providing his national team with information about teammate Hannibal as Sweden prepare to face Tunisia.
football scandal report Sweden are set to make their World Cup debut against Tunisia on Monday, following the Burnley defender's comments today.
Burnley struggle in the World Cup
This one in particular will see a Burnley clash, as Hjalmar Ekdal comes up against Clarets teammate Hannibal on the pitch.
And Ekdal admitted that he would give his Swedish teammates information on how to stop Hannibal in the early game.
"They have their flaws. Now we are rivals and then it's not "gold-gold", He said.
"He's a very good player. Technical and creative player. On his day he's fantastically good, but I also think we can handle it. He's a flashy player and has a temper. We have to be close to him."
"We argue a lot about the match and he is looking forward to the match. He is a hot-tempered, quick-witted player."
Hannibal's yellow card record
The defender was then asked if it was possible to 'unbalance' his Burnley teammate. The 23-year-old received 10 yellow cards in 27 matches in the Premier League this season. But the interesting thing is that they were never shown in red colour.
And Ekdal certainly thinks there is a way to reach him and would suggest his Swedish teammate to do so regardless of any Burnley loyalties.
"Yes. He's great on his day, but if we get him the right way we can handle it." He added.
"We are teammates in England, but rivals in the World Cup. He is short-tempered and has flaws. I will do my best to help my teammates and give them tricks to stop him."
