Sven Goran-Eriksson tributes pour in as ex-England stars and Liverpool pay respects | Football | SportFormer England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson has died at the age of 76 Tributes have flooded in for Sven-Goran Eriksson from Prince William and Liverpool after it was announced the former England manager had died at the age of 76. On Monday, a statement from his former agent Bo Gustavsson confirmed he had passed away peacefully with his family at his bedside after his battle with terminal cancer. It read: "After a long illness, Sven died during the morning at home surrounded by family... The family asks for respect for their wish to mourn in private and not be contacted." The legendary Swede coached England for 67 matches between 2001 and 2006, taking the Three Lions to two World Cups and a European Championships and reaching the quarter-finals of each competition. Within a year, he guided England to one of their most famous results with a 5-1 thrashing of Germany in Munich during a World Cup qualifier. Eriksson also oversaw their journey to the quarter-finals at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. He also managed Manchester City in the Premier League between 2007 and 2008 before Sheikh Mansour's takeover. Eriksson was most recently working as a sporting director at Swedish side Karlstad, but he was forced stepped aside in February 2023 when he confirmed that he had been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. Sven-Goran Eriksson took charge of England in 2001 The Football Association's chief executive Mark Bullingham revealed plans for a tribute to Eriksson during their friendly against Finland in September and gave a glowing reference to his work with the England team. "This is a very sad day. He gave all England fans such special memories. No one can ever forget the 5-1 victory in Munich against Germany under Sven’s guidance," he said. “Sven will be rightly recognised and forever remembered for his significant work with the England team, and for his wider contribution to the game. "On behalf of my colleagues at The FA, past and present, our thoughts are with his friends and family today. He will be much missed, and we will pay tribute to him when we play Finland at Wembley next month."
The chairman of the FA, Prince William, also spoke of his memories of the Swede and called him a "true gentleman of the game." "Sad to hear about the passing of Sven-Goran Eriksson. I met him several times as England manager and was always struck by his charisma and passion for the game. My thoughts are with his family and friends. A true gentleman of the game. W." Liverpool paid tribute to Eriksson after he managed his boyhood club in a Legends match against Ajax last year. Their statement read: "Rest in peace, Sven-Goran Eriksson. The thoughts of everyone at the club are with Sven’s family and friends at this extremely sad time. Prince William spoke of the 'true gentleman' Sven-Goran Eriksson Notts County were one of the first of his former clubs to react to Eriksson's passing as they paid tribute to their former director of football after his brief spell at the club between July 2009 and February 2010. "We're tremendously saddened by the passing of our former Director of Football, Sven-Goran Eriksson. Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this very sad time," the League Two club tweeted from their X account. UEFA also posted their own tribute: "On behalf of the European football community, everybody at UEFA is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Sven Goran Eriksson. A beloved figure in the game, Sven was a UEFA Cup winner as coach of IFK Goteborg in 1982 before leading Lazio to the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1999. Ex-England player Trevor Sinclair reacted to his passing on social media. The former winger posting the message: "Gutted and eternally grateful. RIP Sven," with a heartbroken emoji to summarise his emotions. While former Three Lions goalkeeper David James posted: "Sven-Goran Eriksson - February 1948 – 26 August 2024. A gentleman, a fantastic human being, a great manager. My thoughts go out to his family and his many friends." Sinclair and James' former club City have made their own touching gesture to their former boss after confirming they will fly flags at half mast around the Etihad Stadium in his honour. After expressing their "sincere condolences", City added in a statement: "The thoughts of everyone at Manchester City are with Sven’s family and friends. Sven-Goran Eriksson was given a hero's welcome on his return to Lazio Outside of England, Eriksson recently made the trip to Italy to visit his old club Lazio. And the Serie A outfit published a statement marking the death of their former manager. "SS Lazio has learned with extreme sorrow and deep emotion the news of the passing of Sven-Goran Eriksson, coach of the second Scudetto and the most successful coach in our history," "President [Claudio] Lotito, the management, mister [Marco] Baroni and his staff, the team and all the employees of the Club extend their most sincere condolences to his family and loved ones." Source link Posted: 2024-08-26 14:38:14 |
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