Swedes turn to Kallstrom to revive footballing fortunes

STOCKHOLM : With 131 international caps and 16 goals to his name, former midfielder Kim Kallstrom has been selected by the Swedish Football Association (SvFF) to be the nation's new head of football, and he has no illusions about the task he faces.

Kallstrom was presented to the media on Wednesday as the SvFF's answer to an alarming slide in form for the senior national teams that has seen the men miss out on the Euro 2024 finals in Germany, while the women will miss out on next year's Olympic tournament for the first time in their history.

"Football is a lot about energy, and having that burning desire to try to develop and change and do things better, and always to be part of positive change," Kallstrom told Reuters after his unveiling at the SvFF headquarters near the Friends Arena.

After a career that saw him represent French clubs Rennes and Olympique Lyonnais, Premier League side Arsenal and Russia's Spartak Moscow among others, the 41-year-old retired from playing in 2017 before embarking on a very different path.

"I've been a stay-at-home dad while my wife went to medical school, so I took great care of the children," he says with a wry smile, admitting that football was never too far from his thoughts.

"I also had an interesting education, the Masters for International Players (MIP), which is a program that more or less prepares former football players to roles like this," he added.

"We (ex-players) can bring our knowledge and expertise forward, but obviously, we need some more tools in the toolbox and I think I have that now. And so I'm very pleased to be able to try out all my skills and all my ideas in this new role," Kallstrom explained.

Known as a box-to-box midfielder with boundless energy and a precise,