Sven-Goran Eriksson greets fans prior to the Serie A match between SS Lazio and AS Roma in Rome last year.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has said he has been diagnosed with cancer and has a year to live in a "best-case scenario".
The 75-year-old led England through the World Cup finals in 2002 and 2006, losing in the quarter-finals on both occasions.
In February last year, Eriksson stepped down from his role at Swedish club Karlstad due to "health issues".
"Everyone can see that I have a disease that's not good, and everyone supposes that it's cancer, and it is. But I have to fight it as long as possible," Eriksson said in an appearance on Swedish Radio P1.
David Beckham with Sven Goran Eriksson in 2004.
Photo credit: Getty Images
"I know that in the best case it's about a year, in the worst case even less," he said, according to a transcript on P1's website. "I don't think the doctors I have can be totally sure, they can't put a day on it."
Despite only losing five competitive games, Eriksson's time in charge of England was a rollercoaster ride, with some superb performances on the field accompanied by scandals off the pitch.
The Swede also coached club teams, such as Benfica, AS Roma and Manchester City in a glittering managerial career that spanned four decades.
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Eriksson said he was trying not to think about his illness, adding: "You have to trick your brain. I could go around thinking about that all the time and sit at home and be miserable and think I'm unlucky and so on."
"It's easy to end up in that position. But no, see the positive sides of things and don't bury yourself in setbacks, because this is the biggest setback of them all of course. It just came from nothing. And that makes you shocked," Eriksson added.
"I'm not in any major pain. But I've been diagnosed with a disease that you can slow down but you cannot operate. So it is what it is."
Reuters.
