Eriksson takes over as Mexico coach

MEXICO CITY: Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson was named as the new Mexico coach on Tuesday the day after leaving Premier League club Manchester City.

"I'm very proud to be the coach of the Mexican national team," the former England coach told reporters in a mixture of Spanish and Portuguese.

"I accepted because it's a big challenge. Our target is the World Cup and to try and do better than last time."

"Obviously, I don't have a deep knowledge of Mexican football but that is something I'm going to change quickly .... Like any coach who changes country, I will have to work and that doesn't bother me."

Eriksson parted company with Manchester City after leading it to a respectable ninth place in the English Premier League.

The 60-year-old Swede's appointment was approved by the owners of the country's 18 first division clubs, who make up the Mexican federation's national teams committee.

"It's unanimous. Eriksson has been accepted by all the owners," Guadalajara president Jorge Vergara told reporters.

Eriksson was initially the third choice behind Atletico Madrid's Javier Aguirre, who led Mexico at the 2002 World Cup, and Portugal's Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari.

The Swede, the first foreigner to coach England, replaces Hugo Sanchez who was fired in March after the Under-23 team, which he also coached, failed to qualify for the Beijing Olympics.

Sanchez, widely regarded as the finest player Mexico has produced, had been in charge for only 16 months.

Mexico habitually reaches the knockout stages at the World Cup but has never gone beyond the quarterfinals. It has been eliminated in the last 16 at each of the last four World Cups.

Eriksson will take over following the two-leg preliminary round World Cup qualifier against Belize this month, where interim coach Jesus Ramirez will be at the helm.

Ramirez will also be in charge for this week's friendlies against Argentina and Peru, both in the United States.

Assuming Mexico overcome their tiny neighbours, Eriksson will have less than three months before the group stage of the tortuous CONCACAF World Cup qualifying competition gets under way.

Agencies

(China Daily 06/05/2008 page24)