Why I Rejected Super Eagles Job in 2010 – Eriksson

Former England coach, Sven Goran Eriksson said he rejected Nigeria national team job in 2010 because he was told that his salary would be paid into two different bank accounts.

Eriksson was among the coaches shortlisted for the job in 2010 to replace the late Amodu Shuaibu, who guided the Super Eagles to a third-place finish at the 2010 African cup of nations in Angola.

The former Leicester City gaffer turned down the opportunity to coach Nigeria, and the NFF board led by Alhaji Aminu Maigari appointed another Swedish coach, Lars Largerback to lead the Super Eagles to the first World Cup on African soil.

Largerback led Nigeria to a disappointing first-round exit at the Mundial, the Super Eagles failed to win any match, losing to perennial nemesis, Argentina before losing to Greece. The last game against South Korea ended 2-2 with Yakubu Aiyegbeni missing from close range.

Subsequently, Largerback could not continue as Super Eagles coach after the world cup. Largerback should count himself fortunate for getting the job in the first place as Eriksson was NFF’s first choice.

I’ve never applied for a job in my entire life,” Eriksson said in an interview with branschen.se

“All my assignments have come about through the results I have achieved. I have never gone through any traditional job interviews, never sat down, and conducted any tests or been analysed.

“The closest I have come to an interview is that I met the owner or chairman of the club or national team during a dinner or some other context. But then it was really just about meeting to talk about terms and contracts.”

Erikson added, “The only time I can remember having undergone any form that resembles an interview was when I was asked about the job of Nigeria’s national team coach in 2010 ahead of the World Cup in South Africa.

“I went down in the belief that I would meet the chairman of the national team association (NFF) and that it was really only contract formalities that we would go through. But when I arrived, several coaches had received the same invitation, including Lars Lagerbäck. I was very surprised but found myself quite quickly.

“After a while, I was called into the room with a chairman who declared that they wanted me as a coach but with the proviso that my salary would be divided into two parts: one that I got into my account and another that would be deposited into another account that was not in my name. “There, I refused on the standing. I thought something didn’t go right,

Eriksson is currently without a job after he resigned as Philippines national team coach in 2019.