Sven-Goran Eriksson, charismatic England coach, dies at 76

STOCKHOLM: Sven-Goran Eriksson, the charismatic Swedish football manager who became the first foreigner to lead the England national team, died on Monday (Aug 26) at the age of 76.

Eriksson announced in January that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

"After a long illness, SGE died during the morning at home surrounded by family," his family said in a statement.

His agent Bo Gustavsson told Reuters he had died on Monday morning.

Widely regarded as the greatest Swedish manager, Eriksson won major titles in his home country, Portugal and Italy before leading England in three major tournaments during the early 2000s.

After a mediocre playing career, he gained international recognition by guiding unfashionable Swedish club IFK Gothenburg to the UEFA Cup title in 1982, the only Swedish team to win a European trophy.

Heavily influenced by the English football revered in Sweden in the 1970s and 80s, Eriksson used a pragmatic playing style and a 4-4-2 formation for most of his managerial career. While tactically astute, Eriksson saw his biggest strength as a builder of teams with the right character.

"The group is the most important thing. Not only the players, but their families as well. The whole club, including the masseurs and the kitchen staff, we are all one group," he said.

When he arrived at Italy's Lazio in 1997, Eriksson demanded that the president sold club captain and star player Giuseppe Signori because he was a bad influence on the group.

"He didn't have the right attitude, he had been at the club for a long time and was too negative," Eriksson said. "Instead I took in great players, like (Juan Sebastian) Veron and (Roberto) Mancini, who were hungry and professional."

The Lazio fans were enraged by the decision