Former England, Lazio boss Sven-Goran Eriksson dies at 76

By Can Erozden

Former England and Lazio head coach Sven-Goran Eriksson from Sweden died at the age of 76 on Monday.

"Sven-Goran Eriksson has passed away. After a long illness, SGE died during the morning at home surrounded by family," his family said in a statement.

"The closest mourners are daughter Lina; son Johan with wife Amana and granddaughter Sky; father Sven; girlfriend Yanisette with son Alcides; brother Lars-Erik with wife Jumnong. The family asks for respect for their wish to mourn in private and not be contacted," the statement said.

In January, Eriksson revealed that he had terminal cancer.

One of the well-known football coaches in Europe, Eriksson coached many clubs such as Italy's Lazio, Fiorentina and Roma, Portugal's Benfica and England's Manchester City, as well as the English national team.

Eriksson coached England in 2001-2006, and was the first foreign head coach of the Three Lions. He led England to the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups and the EURO 2004.

Later in his career, he managed Mexico, Ivory Coast, and the Philippines.

He won 18 trophies including the Italian Serie A title with Lazio in 2000, a European Cup Winners' Cup and a UEFA Super Cup with the Italian club, as well as three Portuguese league titles with Benfica.

Eriksson led Goteborg to the UEFA Cup success in 1982, a historic achievement for the Swedish club.

Due to health issues, Eriksson left his recent role as the sporting director at Swedish lower division club Karlstad in February 2023.

European football's governing body UEFA, the Swedish Football Association, the English national team, and the clubs that Eriksson served for such as Lazio, Roma, Manchester City, Leicester City, Benfica and Goteborg expressed their condolences.