SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Eriksson farwells Ivory Coast

Sven-Goran Eriksson has bowed out as manager of the Ivory Coast after missing out on the round of 16, he is now a free agent which could interest the Socceroos.

sven_L_GETTY_100626_1611323093

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AP


Skip to article content

Sven-Goran Eriksson, a bookies' contender for the Socceroos job, has bid farewell to Ivory Coast after the team was eliminated from the World Cup.

Eriksson, who was appointed only three months ago, said continuing in the post had "never been a discussion" and that he had always planned to walk away after Ivory Coast was knocked out of the tournament in South Africa.

"It was clear when I took the job that it was until the end of our World Cup and that's today," Eriksson said.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Eriksson coached England to the quarter-finals in the previous two Cup tournaments, but Ivory Coast failed to qualify for the round of 16 despite beating North Korea 3-0 in their final game.

Eriksson enjoyed huge success early in his career as a coach after retiring as a player at the age of 27 due to a knee injury.

He took third-division Swedish side Degerfors into the top flight in three years and then moved to IFK Goteborg and won two league titles and a Swedish Cup, plus the 1982 UEFA Cup.

The success continued abroad as Eriksson won Portuguese titles with Benfica before moving to Italy for successful stints with AS Roma and Sampdoria.

Eriksson moved on to Lazio and capped his time in Italy with a Cup Winners' Cup title and a league and cup double before taking the England job in 2001.

His time in charge of England was marred by revelations about his private life.

A season in charge at Manchester City followed before a move to Mexico and a surprise spell as director of football at English fourth-tier side Notts County.

Eriksson said he did not know what his next move would be.

"I'll stay (at the World Cup) some days looking at the football and then I'll probably go taking some holiday," he said.

"Then, we'll see. I don't know - something, hopefully."


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world