Sven-Göran Eriksson

Sven-Göran Eriksson {{Audio|sv-Sven-Göran_Eriksson.ogg|listen}} (born February 5, 1948) is a Swedish football manager. He is currently the manager of the English national football team.

Manager of English national team

After the resignation of England manager Kevin Keegan after a home loss to Germany in October 2000, the Football Association specifically pursued Eriksson as his replacement. Eriksson agreed to take over after his contract with Lazio ended in summer 2001, although he would resign his post early and join in January of that year. Eriksson was the first foreigner to be appointed coach of the England national team, leading to a mixed reception. The Daily Mail columnist Jeff Powell famously railed:

Related Topics:
England - Kevin Keegan - Germany - Football Association - 2001 - Daily Mail - Jeff Powell

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:"So, the mother country of football, birthplace of the greatest game, has finally gone from the cradle to the shame. We've sold our birthright down the fjord to a nation of seven million skiers and hammer throwers who spend half their lives in darkness."

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Eriksson turned round England's bid for qualification for the 2002 World Cup, with several crucial wins over lesser opposition before his first real test, England's rematch with Germany in Munich on September 1, 2001. He passed it with flying colours - England crushing their long-time rivals 5-1. Despite this England still needed a late equaliser at home to Greece to automatically qualify, and England's initially strong performance in the 2002 World Cup finals culminated in a distinctly flaccid 2-1 loss to Brazil, the eventual winners.

Related Topics:
2002 World Cup - Munich - September 1 - 2001 - Greece - Brazil

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After the World Cup, Eriksson's England came under more fire after an embarrassing home loss to Australia in a friendly and a draw with Macedonia in a Euro 2004 qualifier. England still managed to qualify for Euro 2004, but the team's performance was decidedly mixed, and Eriksson was again criticized for England's overly-defensive performances in their first-round loss to France and their quarter-final elimination by hosts Portugal, which England lost on penalties. Eriksson has also been questioned for often making numerous substitutions during friendlies and playing players out of position. His controlled, level-headed approach, in which he seldom lose his cool or exhibit emotional outbursts, also drew speculations as to whether he lacked a passion for the game enough to inspire his players. Despite this, Eriksson still maintains a superb competitive match record.

Related Topics:
Australia - Macedonia - Euro 2004 - France - Portugal - Penalties

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Eriksson has also had to weather considerable speculation about his private life, most notably his alleged affairs with the television presenter Ulrika Jonsson, and FA secretary Faria Alam (in a scandal that led to the resignation of the FA's chief executive, Mark Palios). Despite this, Eriksson has committed himself to managing England until 2008.

Related Topics:
Television - Ulrika Jonsson - Faria Alam - Mark Palios - 2008

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On 7 September 2005, Eriksson's England team lost a World Cup qualifying match against Northern Ireland 1-0, the first time that England had lost to that team since 1972. Although it was only Eriksson's first ever defeat in a World Cup or European Championships qualifier match, it brought his position under increased pressure and he was criticised, both by some fans and by BBC commentators, for failing to instill team spirit and tactics into his players.

Related Topics:
7 September - 2005 - Northern Ireland - 1972 - BBC

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