Sweden’s coach John Dahl Tomasson was sacked following the team’s crushing defeat against Kosovo, leaving their hopes of reaching the World Cup dead.
Sweden have sacked coach John Dahl Thomasson, paying the price for their dismal performance. The former Blackburn manager took charge from February 2024, inheriting a team full of attacking talent.
Victor Gokeres and Alexander Isak, who signed for Arsenal and Liverpool respectively this summer, lead the line for a team that had strong ambitions of qualifying for next summer’s World Cup.
However, they suffered a crushing defeat to Kosovo on Tuesday night, leaving them at the bottom of their group with only one point remaining out of the four qualifying teams. Former Denmark international striker Tomasson became the country’s first foreign manager when he was appointed last year, but he has won just nine of 18 games.
“It’s not good enough, it’s a terrible result. It really hurts. We forgot how to score goals and I don’t know why,” he called out his star strikers after a blank shot against Kosovo at home.
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However, the Swedish Football Association clearly believes the blame lies with the dugout, and his dismissal was announced on Tuesday afternoon.
“The Swedish Football Association’s board of directors has taken the decision to terminate the appointment of John Dahl Tomasson as national team manager. This decision was taken due to his poor performance in the World Cup qualifiers,” the statement said.
“The decision taken by the Swedish Football Association is based on the fact that the men’s national team has not achieved the results expected. There is still a possibility of a play-off in March and our responsibility is to be in the best possible condition to reach the World Cup final.”
Kim Kalström, former Arsenal midfielder and current head of Swedish football, added: “We have players that we have great confidence in and we want to create new opportunities for them to flourish.”
“We believe this team can qualify for the World Cup if we have a chance to make the playoffs in March. We would like to take this opportunity to thank John for his support during this time.”
While hopes of qualifying through traditional methods have all but ended, alternative options remain. Sweden are now top of their UEFA Nations League group, meaning they still have a chance to face the United States, Canada and Mexico in the playoffs.
Either way, it was another punishing night for Isak and Gokeres, who joined the club for a combined £193.5m this summer. Both have endured hardship since their transfers, but Gökeres, who scored three goals for the Gunners, was flattered by a cover-up.
Meanwhile, Isak is still struggling with his fitness and is yet to score in the Premier League. During this hiatus, he played 90 minutes in both matches without incident, suggesting that his playing time at club level could increase soon.
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