Sweden coach Erik Hamren has confirmed that he will step down from the role after this summer’s European Championship.
The 58-year-old has been in charge of the Blue-Yellow since succeeding Lars Lagerback as manager in 2009, and he successfully guided the team to the finals of both Euro 2012 and 2016.
The former Rosenborg boss has been under pressure in recent years, after failing to guide the Scandinavian outfit to the 2014 World Cup, and they only secured a passage to France this summer with a narrow play-off victory against Denmark in November.
Hamren has now confirmed he plans to leave the role, as he believes it is the right time for him to move on to a new challenge in his career.
He said: “It feels right to quit; it’s time for me to do something else.”
Sweden will take on the world’s highest ranked side Belgium, Italy and the Republic of Ireland in Group E of this summer’s tournament in France, as they look to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition for only the third time.
The Scandinavian outfit’s best performance at a European Championship came when they reached the semi-finals on home soil in 1992, with their only other adventure beyond the group stage coming when they reached the last eight in 2004.
With potentially three teams advancing from Group E, Hamren’s side have every chance of bettering that record this year, and they are available at 1.67 to reach the knockout stages, whilst they are priced at 7.50 to top the group.
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