| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1914-12-13)13 December 1914 |
| Died | 21 February 2004(2004-02-21) (aged 89) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | football |
| Club | Östers IF |
Stig Svensson (13 December 1914 – 21 February 2004) was a Swedishfootball player and football chairman ofÖsters IF from 1946 to 1989. He took Östers IF fromDivision 5 toDivision 1.[1] He was also the father of Swedish footballer and formerSweden national team coachTommy Svensson.
Svensson played forÖsters IF and made his debut in 1933. In the 1937 season, he stopped playing due to an injury. In 1942, he became the team captain.[2] The following year Svensson gave up his playing career.
After his retirement from football, he took up a leadership career in Östers IF. The club was often called "Svensson IF" due to Svensson's involvement with the club. Shortly after theWorld War II end, he took over as the association's chairman, and this resulted in some progress. In 1947, the club rises through thedivision 3 ranks.[3] By 1958, the club rises toDivision 2 ranks. In 1961, the club qualifies forDivision 1, but it's not until 1967 that the club advances to Division 1. In 1968, the club wins the league in its first season in Division 1, and becomes the national champions in football.
Svensson is considered to be a pioneer in Swedish football. He took aDivision 5 team and made them into aDivision 1 team.[4] Svensson is said to have discovered the Brazilian game style before the1958 World Cup. While he was president, his club was the first to implement legitimate written contract for A-team players in Sweden.[5] While President, his team took the national championships in 1968, 1978, 1980 and 1981.[6] The club also won gold inSwedish Cup in 1977.
WhenOlympique Marseille boughtAnders Linderoth, the French president said, "Actually, I should not buy players from you. I should buy your recipes instead. How do you do in such a small town to get as many good players?"[7]
Svensson grew up inVäxjö with ten siblings. While playing football, he worked as a timber merchant to supplement his income.[8] Svensson has two sonsTommy Svensson, who was a successful footballer and coach, and son Peter Svensson, he is the grandfather ofJoachim Bjorklund and "infected" swear sons Kalle Björklund and Karl-Axel Blomqvist.
In his memoirs, Stig described his success by saying, "We gave football a chance. We never let ourselves be guided on. We believe in camaraderie, the natural form of interaction with football overtones. It's a game with short passes from one side to the other."