'Life is about death as well' — Ex-Ivory Coast coach who rejected Super Eagles job shares emotional message
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Terminally ill former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson hopes he will be remembered as a good man || Image credit: Imago

'Life is about death as well' — Ex-Ivory Coast coach who rejected Super Eagles job shares emotional message

Faruq Ibrahim 17:14 - 21.08.2024

Terminally ill legendary Swede coach Sven Goran-Eriksson released a ter-jerking farewell message.

Former England national team manager Sven Goran-Eriksson, who once rejected the Super Eagles job, is set to release a documentary with Amazon detailing his life and work. A snippet from the proposed interview was released today, in which the 76-year-old sent an emotional farewell message. 

Pulse Sports reported in January that Eriksen was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer; and according to him, he had one year to live. With his death date approaching, Sven, who has always been larger than life, sends out an early farewell message. 

What Eriksson said 

With the full documentary ‘Sven’ set to hit the Amazon Prime streaming service on August 23rd, teaser clips have been filtering through. In the latest, the former Ivory Coast manager gave a poignant farewell speech. 

"Don't be sorry... smile,” Eriksson started. "I had a good life, yes. I think we all are scared of the day when it's finished, when we die. But the life is about death as well. You have to learn to accept it, of what it is."

"Hopefully at the end, people will say, 'Yeah, he was a good man'. But everyone will not say that. I hope you will remember me as a positive guy trying to do everything he could do. Don't be sorry. 

Sven-Goran Eriksson || Imago
Sven-Goran Eriksson || Imago

“Smile. Thank you for everything—coaches, players, the crowd. It's been fantastic. Take care of yourself, and take care of your life, and live it. Bye."

Eriksson and the Super Eagles 

Some parts of Eriksson’s documentary might include his rejection of the Super Eagles job. 

The Swede famously became the Three Lions' first-ever foreign manager. He got the job in 2001 and was at the helm for the next five years. Meaning he coached the so-called “Golden Generation” in their pop. 

Hence, he was the favourite to land the Super Eagles job ahead of the 2010 World Cup, when he was heavily linked with the role, amongst others. 

In a previous interview, Eriksson detailed how an NFF board led by Alhaji Aminu Maigari proposed a payment structure that would see half his publicised salary diverted to another account. He revealed that he rejected the offer, as it did not feel right to him. 

His compatriot Lars Lagerback eventually got the job, and he led the Super Eagles to a disappointing World Cup outing in South Africa. 

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