Swedish football star Zlatan Ibrahimovic has told reporters how sorry he is that the Netherlands failed to qualify for this summer’s European football championships, which start in France on Friday.

‘This will be my first European championships without Oranje and I’m really fed up about it,’ Ibrahimovic told website Nu.nl. ‘A land like the Netherlands should always be at a tournament, not least of all because of the sort of football you play. I like it.’

Ibrahimovic, who played for Ajax between 2001 and 2004, told Metro Dutch football fans should now support Sweden. ‘The Netherlands should cheer on Sweden, just as we cheer for the Netherlands if we are not involved,’ he said.

The Dutch failure to qualify is more remarkable because Uefa had expanded the competition from 16 to 24 countries to try to ensure all major European countries are included.