Sven-Goran Eriksson
AFTER 18 months in limbo and having celebrated his 70th birthday earlier this year, former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson twice found himself back in the spotlight over the past week. And on both occasions, there was a Southeast Asian connection behind the Swede’s re-emergence from obscurity.
First, he was named head coach of Philippines for their upcoming AFF Suzuki Cup and Asian Cup campaigns, signing a six-month contract.
And then, he was effusive in his praise for Leicester City’s Thai owner Vichai Srivaddhanapraba, who tragically lost his life in a helicopter crash at King Power Stadium last Saturday. Vichai was among five people killed in the accident after the home game against West Ham United in the Premier League.
Eriksson was Leicester City manager for a year between October 2010 and October 2011 when they were in the second tier of English football.
He signed David Nugent, Paul Konchesky and Kasper Schmeichel, who helped Leicester win promotion to the Premier League in 2014, with the latter being part of the 2015-16 title-winning side.
“It is tragic what has happened, very sad. (Vichai) was a great man. He sacked me – and I still say he is a great man,” Eriksson told Sky Sports News.
“He treated the people at the club – players, staff, myself – in an extremely good way.”
The accident happened a day after Eriksson put pen to paper with the Azkals, filling the void left by former England captain Terry Butcher, who lasted just 50 days as national coach, despite signing a two-year contract.
Butcher, who played 77 times for England and had targeted World Cup qualification, felt that the proper structure wasn’t in place for him to succeed with the Philippines.
“Regretfully, I’ve not been able to make this work in the way that I intended and I’ve decided not to continue in the role,” Butcher said after announcing his resignation in August.
The appointment of the well-travelled Eriksson is a curious one, given that Philippines play their first match in the Suzuki Cup against Singapore in less than two weeks – on Nov 13 in Bacolod. The Azkals are in Group B, with reigning champions Thailand, Indonesia and Timor-Leste the other nations they are due to face.
Under the new home-and-away format, the Philippines will play four games in the group stage, with the target of advancing to a two-legged semi-final at the start of December.
The AFC Asian Cup in United Arab Emirates will begin on Jan 5, barely three weeks after the Suzuki Cup final on Dec 11 and 15.
Of course, Eriksson is no stranger to Asian football, having managed Guangzhou R&F, Shanghai SIPG and Shenzhen FC in the Chinese Super League, with reasonable success. But working in one of the sport’s emerging markets will be a much different proposition.
His link to Manila comes through former Leicester assistant Scott Cooper, the Englishman who was Butcher’s assistant at Philippines and guided Thai club Buriram United to a win ratio of almost 70 per cent during a short stint in 2013.
Azkals’ team manager Dan Palami was talking up the Eriksson appointment during the Suzuki Cup trophy tour last weekend.
‘’I’ve always been a dreamer and, fortunately, I was able to sell to Sven the dream of Philippine football. He’s been there, he has done it. Beyond the financial remuneration, it’s not about that. I think for him, he believes in the legacy that he can leave for Philippine football,’’ Palami said.
Palami didn’t disclose the financial terms of the deal. However, it is difficult to imagine the well-travelled Eriksson – he’s also managed Manchester City and Lazio in the richest leagues of Europe – accepting anything but a handsome salary.
Seasoned Asian coaches have raised their eyebrows at the appointment, wondering what kind of impact Eriksson could make by accepting a short-term deal in a basketball-mad nation that made its greatest strides during the disciplined, four-year reign of German-American Thomas Dooley.
Dooley’s contract wasn’t renewed in March, despite the Azkals’ ground-breaking qualification for the Asian Cup.
“As good a coach that Eriksson is, I doubt he would know much about the players. I would have like to have seen the money they are paying him redirected to grassroots, youth development, coach education and women’s football,’’ said Scott O’Donell, the former Singapore S.League manager who’s held a number of coach education positions across Asia, including technical director of the All India Football Federation.
If nothing else, Eriksson’s presence will add a touch of glamour to the 12th edition of the Southeast Asian showcase.
Philippines will play group matches against Timor-Leste in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 17, and Indonesia on Nov 25. The game against Thailand on Nov 21 is in Bacolod.
It is the 17th appointment in a managerial career lasting more than 40 years.
Not in his wildest dreams would Sven have predicted a posting to Manila when he succeeded Tord Grip at Swedish third-tier side Degerfors IF at the start of 1977.
Jason Dasey hosts Weekend Mornings on Singapore’s Money FM 89.3 and is CEO of Cockatoo Media. Twitter: @JasonDasey