Jon Dahl Tomasson has been sacked as Sweden manager after Monday’s shock 1-0 defeat by Kosovo left their World Cup hopes hanging in the balance.
The former Blackburn boss, who enjoyed spells with the likes of AC Milan and Feyenoord during an illustrious playing career, won just nine of his 18 matches in charge of the side.
Defeat to Kosovo, which leaves the side bottom of their four-team group and winless from four qualifying matches, proved the final straw for the Swedish federation, who, on Tuesday, confirmed the 49-year-old has been relieved of his duties with immediate effect.
‘The decision taken by the Swedish Football Association is based on the fact that the men’s national team has not delivered the results we hoped for,’ said FA chairman Simon Astrom.
‘There is still a chance for a playoff in March and our responsibility is to ensure that we have the best possible conditions to be able to reach a World Cup final.
‘In this regard, we believe that new leadership is required.’
Jon Dahl Tomasson has been sacked as Sweden manager after Monday night’s shock defeat by Kosovo
Defeat to Kosovo leaves the side bottom of their four-team group and winless from four qualifying matches
While the Scandinavian nation are not among the big hitters on the continent, they still boast an enviable array of Premier League stars and a frontline, consisting of Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres worth close to £200m.
Sweden have a solitary point from their first four clashes in qualifying and have found the net on only two occasions while leaking a concerning seven at the back.
On Monday, a first-half goal from Fisnik Asllani proved enough to seal the victory for the visitors, who have now completed the double over Sweden and sit second in their group.
Tensions unsurprisingly well and truly boiled over in the Swedish camp in the aftermath of the disastrous defeat, with the nation now on the verge of missing out on next summer’s World Cup.
Local outlet SportBladet , reported that a number of stars were thought to be losing confidence in Tomasson after the loss.
