Swedish Soccer Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, First Foreign England Manager, Dies at 76

Sven-Goran Eriksson, the Swedish soccer manager who became England’s first-ever foreign-born coach, has passed away at the age of 76.

Eriksson died Monday at home, surrounded by his family, according to his agent, Bo Gustavsson, who spoke to The Associated Press. His death comes eight months after his diagnosis with pancreatic cancer, a condition he had shared publicly, noting he had at most one year to live.

Known affectionately as “Svennis” in Sweden, Eriksson had a playing career that lasted just nine years before he retired at 27. He then embarked on a diverse coaching journey that eventually led him to being selected as England’s national team coach in 2001.

During his tenure, Eriksson managed a team often referred to as England’s “golden generation,” which featured standout players like David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, and Wayne Rooney. He guided England to the World Cup quarterfinals in both 2002 and 2006, where they were eliminated by Brazil and Portugal, respectively. The European Championship in 2004 also saw England reach the quarterfinals, only to be ousted by Portugal in a penalty shootout.

Eriksson’s time as England coach is remembered as much for off-field events as his team’s on-field performances. He was involved in two highly-publicized affairs—one with Swedish TV personality Ulrika Jonsson and the other with Football Association secretary Faria Alam—which were widely covered by England’s tabloid newspapers.

“My private life was not very private in England,” Eriksson remarked in 2018.

Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, contributed to this report.

Source: The Associated Press