Bandy goalkeeper and Hammarby champion Thomas Franson dies, 67.
Jonas Clason remembers his friend as the most important person in Bagen for 30 years.
“It was a shock to all of us,” Hammarby’s coach said of the heavy message we delivered on Wednesday.
Hammarby Pandey in mourning. And the club announced on Wednesday evening, the death of Thomas Franson, the icon of Bagen, after a sick period. The former great goalkeeper, who was present when Sweden won the historic World Cup gold in Russia’s Khabarovsk in 1981, is now 67 years old.
Thomas Fransson, who also won gold in Sweden with Vitlanda, was recruited as a coach from Selanger to Hammarby prior to the 1994/1995 season. Already in the first year he took over the team in Allsvenskan – and since then Bajen has played in the top league.
For over 20 years, Thomas Franson has held several different roles at Hammarby. In addition to his coaching job, he was also club director and marketing director.
“Damn cool guy”
Hammarby’s new coach Jonas Clayson, who was a Sportbildette expert this winter, remembers his friend with great fondness. The obituary reached him on Wednesday morning.
It was a shock to all of us. I was walking around in circles most of the day. It has become very difficult to put together ideas, says Clisson.
– When I came to Vetlanda when I was 14 in the 80s, we played together for a season, so we had a very long relationship. Since then, this hasn’t been the closest relationship we’ve been in every week, but when we met, it was pretty strained.
His last encounter with Thomas Franson was late last fall, at his home at Jonas Claesson’s ranch in Eckshaw where the entire veteran team of Hammarby Old Boys gathered.
– It was great. It was as usual. When you think he’s gone now, you get so sad, says Clisson.
– But as soon as someone mentions his name, and when you think of Thomas Franson, you get a smile on your face. He was a damn cool guy of it all. People were always happy in his company.
Then Jonas Cleeson and Thomas Franson did not always agree on everything. Especially in the relationship between club representative Franson and star striker Claeson, who played in Hammarby from 1996 to 2002.
– They sat with him in both positive and negative contexts, such as salary cuts and stranger things. But you were always happy when you left the room he was in.
consider the most important
According to Jonas Cleeson, Thomas Franson has likely been the one who has meant the most to Hamarby Bundy since the mid-1990s.
– He’s sat on every chair there. Clayson says he’s a wonderful bond person, and great at keeping things together like a spider in a web.
– If you look at his years in Hammarby, it wasn’t just a dance of roses with gold and festivities. There were also financial fluctuations and things like that, but he was incomparable in dealing with things like that.
When Hammarby trains on Thursday afternoon, Thomas Franson’s death will be something to gather and talk about.
– We’ll take it right away. I find it hard to see that not everyone has some kind of relationship with Thomas. Especially the gang from the older generation like (Robert) Rimgard, Robin (Sundin), (David) Pizzoni and (Adam) Gilgame. Thomas worked at the club for many years when they came to Hammarby.
