Ex-England Manager Eriksson Laid To Rest In Sweden

Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has been laid to rest, with David Beckham among 600 mourners to attend his funeral in Torsby, Sweden.

In January, Eriksson said he had “at best” a year to live after being diagnosed with cancer and his family announced he had died, aged 76, on 26 August.

Eriksson’s coffin arrived at Fryksande church at about 7am local time.

The service was delivered in both Swedish and English, with hundreds of mourners gathering on the lawn outside the church to watch the service on a large screen.

During the eulogy there was reference to the final months of Eriksson’s life, when he realised his dream of managing Liverpool during a charity match in March.

A guard of honour formed as his coffin was placed into a hearse before being taken to Kollsbergs hembygdsgard.

Among the guests were Roy Hodgson, who succeeded Eriksson as England manager, and members of the Swedish royal family.

Beckham, who captained the Three Lions during Eriksson’s tenure, was also in attendance.

Eriksson was the first non-British manager of the England team, leading them to the quarter-finals at three major tournaments during a five-year spell at the helm.

His father, Sven, aged 95, greeted mourners alongside Eriksson’s children, Lina and Johan.

Eriksson managed 12 clubs, including Manchester City, Leicester, Roma and Lazio, winning 18 trophies.

The Swede also had spells in charge of Mexico, Ivory Coast and the Philippines.

After retiring as a player at the age of 27, he began his managerial career with Degerfors in 1977 before joining fellow Swedish side Gothenburg, where he won the league title, two domestic cups and the 1982 Uefa Cup.

He then went on to enjoy two spells with Portuguese giants Benfica, as well as managing Italian sides Roma, Fiorentina, Sampdoria and Lazio where he won seven trophies including the Serie A title, two Italian Cups and the European Cup Winners’ Cup.