Svengoran Eriksson

Former England manager Eriksson was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer earlier this year, saying in January he had "at best, a year left to live".

Eriksson, who won league titles in charge of Benfica and Lazio as well as leading Roma and Sampdoria to Coppa Italia triumphs, has since been the subject of an Amazon Prime documentary.

In a preview of the documentary, Eriksson delivered a poignant message to fans, saying: "I had a good life.

"I think we are all scared of the day when we die, but life is about death as well. You have to learn to accept it for what it is. 

"Hopefully, at the end, people will say, 'yeah, he was a good man', but not everyone will say that.

"I hope you will remember me as a positive guy, trying to do everything he could do. 

"Don't be sorry, smile. Thank you for everything, coaches, players, the crowds. It's been fantastic. Take care of yourself and take care of your life, and live it."

Eriksson became the first foreign manager to lead England when he took charge in 2001, overseeing runs to the quarter-finals at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, also reaching the same stage of Euro 2004.

In March, Eriksson coached a Liverpool legends team to a 4-2 victory over a side made up of former Ajax players in a charity match at Anfield, having revealed it was his lifelong dream to manage the Reds.

Having received a standing ovation from a capacity crowd, Eriksson described the occasion as "absolutely beautiful", adding: "That will be a huge memory in my life."

He was also invited to attend Lazio's final game of the 2023-24 season at the Stadio Olimpico, receiving a rapturous ovation from supporters of the team he led between 1997 and 2001.

With a greater focus on racial inequality across society following the death of George Floyd, attention has again shifted to the absence of black representation in football's managerial circles.

Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling this week claimed there was "no representation of us in the coaching staffs".

Sterling suggested Campbell and Cole "haven't been given the right opportunities" as coaches, in contrast to Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard and Rangers boss Steven Gerrard.

Campbell is at Southend United having previously managed Macclesfield Town, while Cole last year took up a coaching role in Chelsea's academy.

Eriksson coached both as England boss and says the pair are "very clever young men" who can become successful managers.

"Unfortunately, I have to say there are not so many black managers around the world and if you ask me why, I don't know, but it's a fact," Eriksson told Stats Perform News.

"You have [Clarence] Seedorf, who has been rather successful here and there, so there are [some]. I think you have a lot of South Americans, but probably it should be more.

"[Campbell and Cole] are two very clever young men, boys when I had them. Extremely good football players, of course, and the knowledge of football is second to none.

"They know their football and are good people. When they talk, you listen. So I can't see any reason why they shouldn't be good managers as well - coaches, managers, whatever."

Eriksson saw similar potential in Lampard and has been impressed by his early work at Chelsea, having been appointed last year following a successful season at Derby County.

"I think he's doing very well and already last season we saw what he could do, so I think it was a good choice of Chelsea to take him," Eriksson said. "I think he will be there for many, many years.

"He's doing a great job and he's coming from a football family. He was born with football - his father, his uncle, the whole family - so I'm not surprised.

"And when I had him with England, you could see that he's a very clever man, clever football thinking, so it's not a surprise that he's become a good manager as well."

Eriksson, who led England between 2001 and 2006, announced in January he had "best case, a year" to live after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

The Swede was subsequently the subject of an Amazon Prime documentary, in which he delivered an emotional farewell message to fans.

"I hope you will remember me as a positive guy, trying to do everything he could do," Eriksson said in the documentary. 

"Don't be sorry, smile. Thank you for everything, coaches, players, the crowds. It's been fantastic. Take care of yourself and take care of your life, and live it."

A widely reported statement released by Eriksson's family on Monday read: "After a long illness, Sven Goran-Eriksson died during the morning at home surrounded by family.

"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."

Eriksson was the first foreign manager to lead England and oversaw runs to the quarter-finals of the 2002 and 2006 World Cups as well as Euro 2004.

He oversaw 67 games in charge of the Three Lions, with only Walter Winterbottom (139), Alf Ramsey (113), Gareth Southgate (102) and Bobby Robson (95) leading the team on more occasions.

Eriksson's move into international management came after he won league titles with Benfica and Lazio, also lifting the Coppa Italia while in charge of both Roma and Sampdoria.

He also had spells in charge of Manchester City, Mexico, Ivory Coast and Leicester City after leaving the England job.

After revealing his cancer diagnosis, Eriksson said it was his "lifelong dream" to coach Liverpool and was invited to lead a team made up of Reds greats in a charity game versus Ajax legends at Anfield.

Having received a standing ovation from a capacity crowd, Eriksson described the occasion as "absolutely beautiful", adding: "That will be a huge memory in my life."

The Mirror reported on Wednesday that “Eriksson, 72, is the No 1 choice of the Reggae Boys following the resignation of Theodore Whitmore earlier this summer. The Swede has been out of work for more than a year after a spell in charge of the national team of the Philippines.

Eriksson is expected to accept a job with the Jamaican FA that will see him combine a coaching brief with a role as technical director. His challenge will be to qualify the Caribbean island for the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.”

However, when Sportsmax.TV contacted JFF President Michael Ricketts on Wednesday evening, he said he had heard the rumour and that what was reported was not true. He said the JFF was preparing a statement on the matter.

That statement read: “The Jamaica Football Federation is aware of a report in the Mirror newspaper in the UK stating amongst other things that Sven-Goran Eriksson is set to take up a coaching position as well as the position of Technical Director at the Jamaica Football Federation.

“The JFF wishes to categorically deny this report. We wish also to state that the current National Head Coach Theodore Whitmore has not tendered a resignation and therefore there is no vacant position to be filled.”

Between 1977 and 2001, Eriksson won 18 trophies with several clubs in Sweden, Portugal and Italy.

He won both the UEFA Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup and reached the final of the European Cup. He has also managed England, Mexico, Philippines and the Ivory Coast, as well as two clubs in England.

Eriksson became the first non-British manager to be appointed England boss when he left Lazio to take over in 2001, turning around their qualification campaign for the 2002 World Cup and securing a spot at the tournament in Japan and South Korea.

With the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Paul Scholes, David Beckham and Michael Owen, the Three Lions were fancied to make an impact.

But they were beaten by eventual champions Brazil in the last eight. Two years later they fell at the same hurdle in Euro 2004 to Portugal, who also sent England packing in Eriksson's final tournament in charge – the 2006 World Cup.

One of the main legacies of Eriksson's time in charge was a perceived inability to get the best out of England's so-called 'golden generation', but he thinks Southgate has more options at his disposal.

When asked if he feels the current England team was better than his, Eriksson told Stats Perform News: "Maybe not, but they have more choices today than we had.

"Number 20, number 21, the quality went down a bit. It's easier today, there are many hugely talented football players.

"They did well at the last World Cup, they will be even better in the next Euros. It's a new generation. They are young, they are good.

"They have a lot of quality all over. It looks like a very hungry team. They have a lot of pace and that's important.

"If you defend well, then you will be very strong in counterattacks and then, you have a born goalscorer [Harry Kane], and you need that man who can score [many] goals in a major tournament."

Recently, Eriksson was criticised by Ferdinand for apparently urging the former Manchester United centre-back to not play out from the back – but the Swede insists that was not the case.

"He was one of the best central defenders in the world, maybe the best, and as he rightly said, he could play," Eriksson added. "He was a very modern central defender. Football was different then.

"Everybody wants to play like Barcelona, but not everybody should. Not everyone can play like Ferdinand. But that back four was very, very strong.

"I always in all my career was very keen not to lose the ball when we have it in our own half of the pitch: you give opportunities to your opponents to create.

"If you're going to lose it, then do so up front, but if we could play in a secure way from behind, then do it, if not then don't make life difficult for us. But I never ever said don't play from the back."

Euro 2020 was due to start on Friday, but due to the coronavirus pandemic it was postponed for 12 months in March.

England will face Croatia, Czech Republic and as yet undetermined third team, who will be decided by the qualification play-off, when the tournament takes place from June 11, 2021.

Mihajlovic was part of Eriksson's Lazio team that won the 1999-2000 Serie A title, with his set-piece prowess, fierce tackling and combative attitude making Mihajlovic a standout figure in that era.

His death was announced by his family on Friday, with Mihajlovic succumbing to leukaemia at the age of 53.

As well as playing spells in Italy with Roma, Sampdoria, Lazio and Inter, Mihajlovic was a European Cup winner in 1991 with Red Star Belgrade and a long-time Yugoslavia international.

His free-kicks were among the best in the game, and he later took to coaching, with Milan, Fiorentina, Sampdoria, Torino and Bologna among the clubs he led from the touchline.

Mihajlovic and Roberto Mancini, now the Italy head coach, were both highly influential figures in Eriksson's great Lazio side.

"Mihajlovic was a very successful player," Eriksson told Italian broadcaster Sky Sport 24. "For him there was no such thing as finishing second. He was generous, an intelligent and fabulous player. He was someone who helped everyone in the team, especially the youngsters. It's all very sad.

"He was a great coach even when he was still a player. He had to become a coach, it was known. He was a very intelligent player, he understood everything in football, I didn't need to talk about tactics with him.

"I don't know how many games Lazio have won due to his free-kicks or penalties. I remember that he was a very successful man and very helpful with everyone.

"He was different from me in terms of character, but the respect that existed was the secret of that team. This made Lazio great. It was impossible not to like Sinisa, he was positive, cheerful. It was a huge pleasure to work with him."

Former Lazio striker Christian Vieri added, in an Instagram post: "It's hard to find words today. Rest in peace great warrior."

Mihajlovic was sacked by Bologna in September after a disappointing start to the season, ending his second spell as head coach with the Rossoblu.

Milan great Andrea Pirlo paid his own tribute to Mihajlovic, writing: "A great man as well as being a great footballer... You have always proved to be a loyal warrior. Goodbye Sinisa."

Another former on-field adversary, Gabriel Batistuta, wrote: "How many battles on the field. Goodbye Sinisa."

Italian FA (FIGC) president Gabriele Gravina said he was "deeply saddened".

"Sinisa was a protagonist on and off the field, an example of passion, determination and courage, able to inspire and excite," Gravina added. "Mihajlovic was a true champion as a player, as a coach, but above all as a person.

"In an era often marked by falsehood, he has always known how to put the truth before him, not underlining his defects and his weaknesses."

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis added his own salute, saying on Twitter: "A great man leaves too soon. A coach that in the past I had thought of bringing to Naples. A person of great human depth. A fighter who defied the disease with the courage of a lion."

Red Star Belgrade labelled Mihajlovic "a great star and a man with an incredible heart and strength", adding: "Our club expresses its deepest condolences to the Mihajlovic family. To him be eternal glory!"