KARLSTAD, Sweden: England soccer great David Beckham arrived in Sweden on Thursday ahead of the funeral of Sven-Goran Eriksson, his former national-team coach.
Eriksson died on Aug. 26 at the age of 76, eight months after he revealed he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had at most one year to live.
Beckham was England’s captain under Eriksson, who was in charge of the team from 2001-06, and visited his former coach in Sweden in June.
Swedish news agency TT reported that Beckham landed in the early evening on Thursday at Karlstad airport, which is a short drive from Torsby — a town, located about 310 kilometers (193 miles) west of Stockholm, where the funeral will take place Friday in the 600-seat Fryksande church. Beckham was pictured in Swedish media checking into a hotel in Karlstad.
Torsby is in the region of Varmland, where Eriksson grew up and died.
After the church ceremony on Friday, a musical procession will accompany the coffin that will be transported the 700 meters (766 yards) to a museum in Torsby with a large number of original wooden houses with traditional furnishings. Speeches and eulogies will be given there.
“It is an honor to be able to come to his funeral, although it is a sad day,” Roy Hodgson, another former England coach who also arrived in Torsby on Thursday, was quoted as saying by the local Warmlands Folkblad outlet.
David Beckham arrives in Sweden for funeral of former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson
https://arab.news/chhuc
David Beckham arrives in Sweden for funeral of former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson
- Beckham was England’s captain under Eriksson, who was in charge of the team from 2001-06
- Beckham was pictured in Swedish media checking into a hotel in Karlstad
Morocco include injured captain Hakimi in AFCON squad
- Regragui said: “We hope he (Hakimi) will be available for our first match against the Comoros“
- Hosts Morocco face the Comorans on Dec. 21 in Rabat
JOHANNESBURG: Morocco included injured captain Achraf Hakimi in a 26-man squad named on Thursday for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The 27-year-old full-back sprained his ankle after being fouled playing for Paris Saint-Germain against Bayern Munich last month in the UEFA Champions League.
Speaking after the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington last Friday, head coach Walid Regragui said: “We hope he (Hakimi) will be available for our first match against the Comoros.”
Hosts Morocco face the Comorans on December 21 in Rabat in the opening match of the biennial African football showpiece.
Referring to recently crowned 2025 African player of the year Hakimi, Regragui added: “He is doing better. He is improving. He wants to be here (Morocco). He is our leader, our captain.”
Morocco are in Group A with the Comoros, Mali and Zambia. Group winners and runners-up qualify automatically for the knockout phase, along with the best four of the six third-placed teams.
Other Atlas Lions stars, including goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, Manchester United full-back Noussair Mazraoui, midfielder Sofyan Amrabat and striker Youssef En-Nesyri, have been selected.
Morocco are seeking to win the AFCON a second time. They drew with Guinea in 1976 in Ethiopia to finish first in a tournament consisting only of mini-leagues.
Only three of the 13 AFCON hosts this century — Tunisia, Egypt and the Ivory Coast — have been crowned champions.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Yassine Bounou (Al Hilal/KSA), Munir El Kajoui (Renaissance Berkane), El Mehdi Al Harrar (Raja Casablanca)
Defenders: Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA, capt), Mohamed Chibi (Pyramids/EGY), Jawad El Yamiq (Al-Najma/KSA), Romain Saiss (Al Sadd/QAT), Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal (Rennes/FRA), Nayef Aguerd (Marseille/FRA), Adam Masina (Torino/ITA), Noussair Mazraoui (Manchester Utd/ENG), Anass Salah-Eddine (PSV Eindhoven/NED)
Midfielders: Oussama Targhalline (Feyenoord/NED), Sofyan Amrabat (Real Betis/ESP), Ismael Saibari (PSV Eindhoven/NED), Neil El Aynaoui (Roma/ITA), Bilal El Khannouss (Stuttgart/GER), Azzedine Ounahi (Girona/ESP)
Forwards: Brahim Diaz (Real Madrid/ESP), Ilias Akhomach (Villarreal/ESP), Chemsdine Talbi (Sunderland/ENG), Youssef En-Nesyri (Fenerbahce/TUR), Ayoub El Kaabi (Olympiacos/GRE), Soufiane Rahimi (Al Ain/UAE), Abdessamad Ezzalzouli (Real Betis/ESP), Eliesse Ben Seghir (Bayer Leverkusen/GER)
Standby: Youssef Belammari (Raja), Hamza Igamane (Lille/FRA)
