David Beckham will be among mourners for Sven-Goran Eriksson’s funeral in Sweden
The funeral of former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson will be held in his home town of Torsby on Friday.
David Beckham will be among the mourners attending the funeral of Sven-Goran Eriksson on Friday (September 13). The ceremony will be held in the former England manager’s home town of Torsby.
Eriksson, who led England at three major tournaments, died on August 26 after suffering from pancreatic cancer. He was 76.
A service is set to take place at 9am at Fryksande Church, which is located in Varmland County, Sweden, where he was raised. David Beckham, who was England captain under Eriksson, will be among those gathered to remember the former coach.
It will be followed by a procession to Kollsbergs hembygdsgard (rural community museum), where speeches and eulogies will be given.
Prior to his death, Eriksson had publicly spoken of his wish to be buried at the spot, returning to the area for an Amazon Prime documentary and sharing his emotional connection to the area. “A beautiful place, it makes you calm, makes me calm,” he said.
“If you look straight on, that’s Torsby, where I grew up. I always thought, great place to sleep. The ashes could be thrown into the water here. It feels like home.”
Under Eriksson’s direction, England reached the World Cup quarter-finals in 2002 and 2006, and the last-eight of Euro 2004. He was England manager for five years, having previously guided Lazio to the Serie A title. He also managed Roma, Fiorentina and Sampdoria in Italy.
After stepping down from the England job, he held managerial posts with Manchester City, Leicester and the Mexico national team.