Sweden's Tomasson Admits Shortcomings After Kosovo Loss

Sweden's national coach Jon Dahl Tomasson reflects on the team's 2-0 loss to Kosovo, citing shortcomings and threats from fans.

“Social media is one thing. It is part of our world, and it is good to be critical. If there is hate mail...”

Sweden's national coach, Jon Dahl Tomasson, has condemned the threats made against him and his players after their 2-0 loss to Kosovo in the World Cup qualifier. Tomasson stated that criticism is a natural part of football, but hate mail and verbal violence are unacceptable. “I think it's disgusting,” he said in an interview with SVT Sport. The Swedish Football Association has reported the threats to the police, and Tomasson can't comment further due to the ongoing investigation.

Tomasson reflected on the match, acknowledging that Sweden didn't play to their standards. “We didn't play like Sweden, we didn't follow our principles. We didn't play like we trained,” he said, taking responsibility for the loss. He admitted that he needs to improve communication with his players, saying, “I haven't been good enough. I must be clearer.”

Despite the setback, Tomasson remains confident about Sweden's chances in the World Cup qualifiers. Sweden faces crucial home games against Switzerland and Kosovo in October, and Tomasson believes his team can bounce back. “We have a plan, we don't panic. We look ahead, and everyone showed that after the loss to Kosovo. We threw it in the trash that day immediately and moved on,” he said.

The Swedish team's director of football, Kim Kallstrom, has expressed absolute confidence in Tomasson's leadership, stating, “We have absolute confidence in him.” Despite criticism from some quarters, including former player Freddie Ljungberg, who described Sweden's performance as “totally horrible,” Tomasson remains focused on improving the team's performance.

“Criticism is part of football. I'll be the first to say that it's not good enough when it's not good enough. That's part of it, and that's how it should be, because football is about discussion, emotion, and love for the sport.”

“Social media is one thing. It is part of our world, and it is good to be critical. If there is hate mail, or should I call it verbal violence, I have no words for it. I think it's disgusting,” he says to SVT Sport.

Sweden's national coach, Jon Dahl Tomasson, recently spoke about the team's 2-0 loss to Kosovo in a World Cup qualifier. When asked about the threats received by the team and staff, Tomasson chose not to comment on whether he personally had received threats. Instead, he referred to the ongoing police investigation, emphasizing that the matter is being handled by the authorities.

Självkritisk men övertygad om att hans spelfilosofi är rätt för det svenska landslaget. Har träffat Jon Dahl Tomasson. Om fiaskot mot Kosovo, hat och hot, avgångskraven och varför han är övertygad om att Sverige går till VM. Nu på SVT Play: https://t.co/54CS9v5XUN

— Johan Kücükaslan (@johankucukaslan) September 23, 2025

Regarding the team's performance, Tomasson acknowledged that he needs to improve his communication with the players. “I haven't been good enough. I must be clearer in my messages to the players,” he said. He pointed to the team's play as the main reason for the defeat, stating, “We didn't play like Sweden. We did not follow our principles. We didn't play as we had done in training.”

Tomasson also expressed his disgust at the hate mail and verbal violence directed at the team and staff on social media.

Now, Sweden faces crucial home games against Switzerland and Kosovo. Switzerland leads Group B with two wins, while Kosovo is in second place with three points after the win over Sweden.

Sweden is currently third in Group B with one point to show after two matches.

Upcoming Matches:

• Sweden vs. Switzerland: October, Solna

• Sweden vs. Kosovo: October 13, Gothenburg