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A vibrant and noisy funeral procession for Sven-Goran Eriksson made its way through his hometown of Torsby today as locals got the chance to pay tribute to their greatest son.
Following the service this morning, Torsby’s marching brass band led his coffin along the 700-yard walk from Fryksände church to the Kollsberg homestead, where friends and family will pay a more intimate tribute.
Hundreds of members of the congregation followed behind including the former England manager’s captain David Beckham, Eriksson’s longtime lover Nancy Dell’Olio and his partner Yaniseth Alcides.
Residents along the route were seen gathering on their lawns and at the end of closed-off streets to pay their respects – with songs played including The Bare Necessities from The Jungle Book.
After reaching a junction, the band turned left while the hearse continued straight before heading down a grass track. Beside the venue was a vast lake lined by pine trees, providing a typically Scandinavian backdrop.
David Beckham joins mourners on Sven-Goran Eriksson’s funeral procession in the Swedish town of Torsby this morning
Torsby’s brass band leads Sven-Goran Eriksson’s coffin along the walk from Fryksände church to the Kollsberg homestead
Sven-Goran Eriksson’s longtime lover Nancy Dell’Olio joins mourners on the funeral procession in Torsby this morning
David Beckham joins mourners on Sven-Goran Eriksson’s funeral procession in the Swedish town of Torsby this morning
Sven-Goran Eriksson’s partner Yaniseth Alcides joins mourners on the funeral procession in Torsby this morning
David Beckham joins mourners on Sven-Goran Eriksson’s funeral procession in the Swedish town of Torsby this morning
Sven-Goran Eriksson’s coffin is driven from Fryksände church in the Swedish town of Torsby this morning
The band could then be heard in the distance striking up a rendition of When The Saints Go Marching In. Mourners gathered in a seating area cut along the side of a slope overlooking a stage.
Prior to his death, Eriksson had publicly spoken of his wish to be buried at Kollsberg, returning to the area for an Amazon Prime documentary and sharing his emotional connection to the area.
‘A beautiful place, it makes you calm, makes me calm,’ he said. ‘If you look straight on, that’s Torsby, where I grew up. I always thought great place, to sleep. The ashes could be thrown into the water here. It feels like home.’
The ‘New Orleans style’ procession is inspired by the colourful 1993 public funeral of Sampdoria president and owner Paolo Mantovani’s in Genoa, which Eriksson attended when he was a coach there and included jazz music.
The funeral was hailed as the ‘biggest ever’ in Torsby’s history and preparations were thorough, with the band’s conductor calculating that the route will take exactly 14 minutes so he can plan how many pieces of music he needs.
The Swede is said to have been inspired by his time in Italy, and the joyful atmosphere seemed a fitting tribute for a man who inspired millions with his positivity in the face of terminal cancer.