Print

Mail

wiki links

Sven swaps Manchester for job as Mexico’s coach

Sven-Goran Eriksson was named Mexican national coach on Tuesday in place of Hugo Sanchez, announced a member of the selection committee, Jorge Vergara.

The 60-year-old Swede arrived in Mexico on Sunday evening just hours before the official announcement that he was leaving English Premiership side Manchester City by mutual consent.

Eriksson’s task will be to get Mexico to the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa and to make an impression at them.

Eriksson was ostensibly the third choice for the job with the federation initially having approached former national boss Javier Aguirre, who preferred to stay at Atletico Madrid.

Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari was the next choice, but his wage demands were judged as excessive.

While Eriksson only lasted the one campaign at City — after five years in charge of the England team who he guided to two World Cup quarter-finals and the Euro 2004 last eight — he was very popular with the fans, who believed he had done a good job to revive the ailing fortunes of the club.

“I’m very proud to be the coach of the Mexican national team,” the former England coach told reporters in a mixture of Spanish and Portuguese.

“I accepted because it’s a big challenge. Our target is the World Cup and to try and do better than last time,” he said.

“Obviously, I don’t have a deep knowledge of Mexican football but that is something I’m going to change quickly ... Like any coach who changes country, I will have to work and that doesn’t bother me,” the Swede said.

Eriksson promised that the language barrier would not get in the way.

“As a Swede and having worked in various countries, I have learned Italian, Portuguese and English ... and in the next three months, I will be speaking acceptable Spanish,” he said.

Eriksson will take over following the two-leg preliminary round World Cup qualifier against Belize later this month, where interim coach Jesus Ramirez will be at the helm.

Assuming Mexico overcome their tiny neighbours, Eriksson will have less than three months before the group stage of the tortuous CONCACAF World Cup qualifying competition gets under way.
This story has been viewed 1122 times.