Women’s Euros: Norway coach Sjogren resigns after early exit

Two-time champions, Norway, failed to make it to the knockout stages and also had to face the humiliation of an 8-0 defeat against England.

Norway coach Martin Sjogren during his side’s group stage match against England in the ongoing Women’s Euros | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Norway women’s football team coach Martin Sjogren and his assistant Anders Jacobson have resigned from their roles after the team was knocked out of the Women’s Euros, the country’s football federation (NFF) said on Tuesday.

Twice champions Norway failed to get out of the group stages for a second edition in a row, losing its last two games, which included an 8-0 thrashing at the hands of hosts England, to finish third in Group A.

Sjogren had been in charge of the women’s national team for more than five years but an agreement was in place to evaluate their progress after the Euros, with the two coaches receiving severance pay for their contract period until August 2023.

“The expectations before this championship were clear and we had high ambitions to go far,” Sjogren said in a statement.

“When the results did not match the expectations, the natural solution is that we now go our separate ways.”

The NFF said it was in the process of hiring a new coaching team and hoped to complete the process before Norway’s 2023 World Cup qualifiers against Belgium and Albania in September.

They are top of Group F with those two games left.