The European Championships will start soon.
And Pia Sundhage is completely sure of Swedish success.
– They have made a journey right up which I am very impressed by, she says to SVT.
Pia Sundhage has been the Brazilian national team captain since the summer of 2019, so this summer she has no major championship to look forward to. Ikonen left his job as national team captain for the Swedish national team in 2017, when Sweden left the European Championships in the quarterfinals.
Believe in gold party
Sweden was then in a heavier period, but has since risen properly. Last summer, they came all the way to the Olympic final, where there was unfortunately a loss of penalties in the final. And Pia Sundhage is impressed.
The former national team captain believes that Sweden has done most things right, and she believes that Sweden will win its first major championship gold since the European Championships in 1984. At that time, Pia Sundhage was one of the great gold heroes.
– Yes! Point, she tells SVT.
“It is fantastic”
Pia Sundhage only feels joy over the trip that Sweden has made since 2017, when they went out to the Netherlands.
– The players and the management team that have been involved after 2017 have done a fantastic job. I hope they enjoy the trip because it is at the very highest international level. Sweden is ranked second, you were in an Olympic final where you would have won gold, I think. In addition, in the eyes of many, they are favorites for the European Championship gold. It is a journey right up that I am very impressed by, says Sundhage.
Pia Sundhage meets Sweden on Tuesday night in a genre rehearsal before the European Championships. A large audience is expected at Friends Arena, with more than 30,000 spectators on site – in other words, an expected audience record.
– It’s a unique feeling. It’s a long journey if you think about what it was like from the beginning, and there are a lot of people who want to see Brazil and Sweden. I’m incredibly proud. I will write that somewhere in my book. To be part of a record is always very cool, I think.
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