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The former Three Lions and Ivory Coast manager sadly passed away at the age of 76
Swedish football manager Sven Georan Eriksson, who famously exposed corruption within Nigeria’s Football Federation, passed away on Monday at the age of 76 after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.
Sven-Goran Eriksson leaves behind huge legacy
Eriksson, who became the first foreign manager to coach England’s Three Lions during a spell from 2001 to 2006, had earlier revealed that he had less than a year to live after losing his battle with cancer and has now been pronounced dead seven months later.
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Before his passing, Eriksson was able to do several things on his bucket list including managing his favourite club Liverpool during a friendly game and receiving farewells at some of the clubs that he oversaw during his managerial career.
In addition to his popular spell with England, Eriksson also managed Degerfors IF and IFK Goteborg in his native Sweden, winning the UEFA Cup with the latter, before moving to Portugal with Benfica, where he won three league titles.
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He also managed both Roman clubs AS Roma and Lazio, winning the Serie A title with I Biancocelesti.
Eriksson’s claims against NFF
In his autobiography, My Story, Sven-Goran Eriksson detailed his shocking experience with the Nigeria Football Federation during negotiations to become the head coach of the Super Eagles.
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Eriksson revealed that after Nigeria's disappointing exit in the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, the NFF sought a European coach to replace the domestic manager just months before the World Cup in South Africa.
The Swedish manager recounted how he flew to Abuja, confident that he was the leading candidate for the job, writing his memoir, "I flew to Abuja, the Nigerian capital, to meet the Nigerian FA and, I thought, to negotiate the job as Nigeria manager.
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“I knew the Nigerians had also shown interest in the coach of the Egyptian national team, but I assumed the job was mine if I wanted it. I should not have made that assumption.
“We met at the Hilton Hotel in Abuja. In the meeting room, perhaps ten people were sitting, as if on a panel, behind a table. Right away, they started asking stupid questions.
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"After the meeting in Abuja, they told me that half of my salary will be deposited in a special bank which I rejected and that was why I was not given the job."
After rejecting the dubious offer, Eriksson managed future Premier League champions Leicester City before moving his talents to China.
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