STOCKHOLM: The funeral of Sven-Goran Eriksson, the first foreigner to manage England’s national football team, was held on Friday in the small Swedish town where he grew up before embarking on a career that would span many decades, countries and trophies.

A soft-spoken but determined coach, Eriksson guided teams in Sweden, Portugal and Italy to major trophies in the 1980s and 1990s before taking on the England job in 2001, managing stars such as David Beckham, with whom he formed a close bond.

Eriksson announced in January that he was terminally ill with pancreatic cancer and spent much of the ensuing months reconnecting with many of the places and people central to his career before he died last month.

The funeral took place in Torsby, a rural town of fewer than 5,000 people near the border with Norway, and was attended by several hundred people inside the church, including Beckham and another former England boss Roy Hodgson, Eriksson’s family and his former partner Nancy Dell’Olio.

“Despite his illness, Sven-Goran’s last days were full of life. He received tributes from all over the world. Many of you carry his commitment as a coach in your hearts,” pastor Ingela Alvskog said in her eulogy.

“So much joy, so much laughter. In the midst of grief, there is room for gratitude,” she continued.

Outside the church, several hundred people gathered, some dressed in their Sunday best while carrying roses in their hands.

Hundreds more followed the service on a big screen set up outside, local police said, and the funeral was given blanket coverage by Swedish media.

After the one-hour service, the coffin was led in procession to a nearby community centre while a brass band played music including “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, the anthem of English club Liverpool, whom Eriksson supported and coached in a legends game in March.

Speaking at a second service outside the church, his daughter Lina Eriksson said he had always wanted a ceremony to celebrate his life.

“He didn’t want it to be a sad funeral. He wanted it to be joyful, with lots of music, humour and celebration. He wanted a festive event,” she told the crowd. “Today, to the best of our ability, with everyone’s help, we have tried to recreate what Dad wanted,” she added.

Tributes flowed in from prime ministers, clubs and former players on news of his death while national teams including England and Sweden played with black arm bands during the recent international break.

“Svennis was a true football gentleman,” FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom said on social media platform X. “He coached as he lived his life, and he will be sorely missed.”

Eriksson, known in Sweden simply as “Svennis”, led England to the 2002 and 2006 World Cup quarter-finals, and to the 2004 European Championship, managing a golden generation of players that besides Beckham included stars such as Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard.

He began building his international reputation when he guided Swedish club IFK Gothenburg to the UEFA Cup title in 1982 and went on to win silverware as coach of Portugal’s Benfica and Italian clubs AS Roma, Lazio and Sampdoria.

Unable to end England’s trophy drought, he left the helm of the national side in 2006, going on to coach Manchester City and Leicester City as well as Mexico and Ivory Coast and clubs in China and the Philippines.

Curt Agren, watching the funeral on the screen outside the church wearing an IFK jersey, shorts and cap, reflected on Eriksson’s importance for the club.

“He is the greatest we’ve had in the whole world,” he told local news agency TT.

Published in Dawn, September 14th, 2024