Inside Sven-Goran Eriksson's hometown as star-studded funeral will bring streets to standstill
Sven-Goran Eriksson's funeral will be held in his home town of Torsby on Friday, with David Beckham and Roy Hodgson among the huge football names attending
Sven-Goran Eriksson's hometown will come to a standstill on Friday as it says goodbye to its most famous son.
VIP guests, including many from the world of football, are flying in to pay their final respects inside Fryksände Church in the tiny Swedish town of Torsby, where the much-loved former England boss grew up and spent his final days before his death aged 76 last month.
David Beckham and Roy Hodgson both arrived on Thursday evening. Ex-captain Becks, 49, flew in to Karlstad Airport on a private jet shortly after 5pm. Former national manager Hodgson, 77, arrived earlier on a plane with FA officials.
But the the majority of the congregation will be the area's ordinary residents - just as Sven wanted. The star's close pal Bengt Berg, who will give a eulogy in Sven's honour, told the Mirror : "The funeral will be as he wished.
"Sven was a big star in football, but he wasn't a big star when he came back here. He was very ordinary and human."
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Bengt, 78, who first became friends with Sven when they were both aged just 12, added: "He was humble and never forgot his roots. They were very important to him and I think they helped him in his career."
Police estimate between 500 and a few thousand locals could attend the 10am church service, including many who will watch on a giant screen outside the 600-capacity church.
Officers closed off streets around the magnificent neo-gothic style venue ahead of the service, which will be officiated over by priest Ingela Älvskog, 64, who was a close friend of both Sven and his 95-year-old dad, who is also called Sven.
It will be followed by a New Orleans jazz style funeral procession, led by a brass band, which will see Sven's coffin carried to the grounds of the nearby Kollsberg museum.
More speeches will then be given on a stage surrounded by a wooden ampitheatre on one side and his beloved Lake Fryken on the other.
And there will also be musical performances, including by his favourite pop-rock band Sven-Ingvars, who first formed when he was still just a boy in 1956.
Around 150 invited guests will later chow down on some of Sven's favourite food, including a traditional local dish called ‘’motti med fläsk’’, which is comprised of a lumpy porridge made from the flour of toasted oat kernels, alongside thick bacon slices and a lingonberry sauce.
Bengt revealed: "It will be mournful in the church, but the procession will be different. He wanted it to be like a carnival and to be joyful.
"There will also be popular well-known songs at the event on the stage, including by the band Sven Ingvars, who will perform."
Bengt spoke movingly about the courage shown by Sven, who revealed in January he had been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and had at "best case a year" to live.
The former politician and poet said: "I think his role as a person is important. It was very shocking when his illness came up. The topics we spoke about grew very severe and at first he was rather shocked. I think then he managed to keep as calm as possible.
"He aroused such admiration when he talked about his illness and that he saw every day as new opportunity... a gift. He had wonderful trips to Liverpool, Lisbon and Italy after his diagnosis. He could feel the love.
"I think that attracted admiration even outside the circle of football fans. That someone could talk about the existential conditions in such an unsentimental way as he did."
Bengt, who fondly recalls Sven eating hot dogs and playing table tennis, added: "In my speech I will try to not only talk about Sven-Göran as the football hero he became, but also the person he was. He was very respected here because he inspired people with his success."
Bengt spent hundreds of hours with Sven over the last two years while the pair co-wrote the legendary manager's life-story for a book, which will be released in England next month.
READ MORE: Wembley pays emotional Sven-Goran Eriksson tribute ahead of England vs FinlandREAD MORE: Sven-Goran Eriksson dished out £2,300 tip – because he was distracted by Panamanian singerHe said: "I want to tell everyone how Sven had grand football dreams. They seemed unrealistic for him as he walked around Torsby as a 12 or 13 year old boy, but they happened for him. It was like a miracle. It shows that a dream can come true.
"He had a lot of courage to take on tasks that he probably could never be certain would work out. But he lived for football and became an icon."
The funeral guestlist, which includes close family and friends, as well as representatives of his former clubs and the FA, has not been revealed in advance for security reasons.
But speculation has raged it could include some of football's biggest names, including David Beckham, who served as England captain under Sven and has already arrived, and Wayne Rooney, who broke through into the national team under the Swede's guidance.
Sven's glamorous Italian ex Nancy Dell'Olio, formerly described as the First Lady of English football, is also reportedly set to attend after apparently making peace with the ladies man in his final days.
Speaking about the security operation, Torsby police operations manager Morgan Olsson said: "We have some big events here and experience of handling them, but for a funeral this is unique.
"There will be famous people here and a lot of people from the football world and we naturally have to take that into account."
Asked how many locals he expects to turn out, Mr Olsson added: "It's hard to say how many, but it could be anywhere from 500-600 up to a few thousand."
Sven, affectionately known to locals as Svennis, grew up in Torsby in the 1950s and early 60s and began his football career playing for the town's then Division Four side Torsby IF, making more than 100 appearances at right-back.
He retired from playing aged just 27 and later went into management, before writing his name into Swedish folklore by leading IFK Goteborg to UEFA Cup glory in 1982.
He also enjoyed highly-successful spells with Portuguese giants Benfica, as well as Sampdoria and Lazio in Italy. And he made history again when he became the England national team's first ever foreign manager in 2001.
Sven went on to lead the Three Lions at three major tournaments over five years and masterminded a number of top results, including a famous 5-1 win against Germany in Munich.
England fans paid tribute to him with an emotional minute's applause before the Three Lions' latest match against Finland at Wembley on Tuesday night. And his exploits have also made him a hero in Torsby, as well as surrounding towns and villages, including Sunne, where he was born.
Sven spent his final days living at his remote and sprawling mansion estate, in between the two towns on the banks of Lake Fryken. He told family and friends he wants his ashes scattering on the lake before he passed away in his sleep after losing his fight with pancreatic cancer on August 26.
Such was his standing in the town, hundreds of mourners, including children, have since signed a book of condolence, which has been accompanied by a photo of him and a lit candle, in a building opposite the church.
Local politicians have announced they will name both a square and a sports arena in the area in his honour.
A statue of Sven, who also managed Man City, Leicester and the Mexico national team, has been moved outside in front of Torsby's tourist information office since his passing in order for as many people as possible to see it. And a bakery has even been selling cakes emblazoned with his image. Among those signing the book of condolence yesterday was carer Marie Bjorklund, 48. She said: "I didn't know Svennis, but I live here so I knew who he was. He is big! "He was kind to many people here. He was calm and friendly and had time for everybody. I felt empty and sad when I heard he had died. Football has lost someone big."
A hotel receptionist last night summed up the mood in the rural, usually sleepy, area, which is more than 250 miles away from the country's capital Stockholm. Speaking in a serious tone, she said: "This funeral is the biggest event in Torsby since World War Two. We have had many more bookings than usual with people travelling here for it. He is very popular and important here. I expect a lot of people will go."
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