Bestad. The premiere of the European Championship will be for national team manager Marika Domansky Lifors.
It is played on the birthday of the deceased husband in England, where, as the captain of the national team, he won the gold medal at the European Championship in 1984.
– He and I were looking forward to this tournament even though we’d always play for that gold medal… It’s going to be very special, she says.
We sit on chairs along the central court in Bastad. Marika Domansky Lives is enjoying being with her team ahead of another big tournament.
At the same time, the emotions are amazing.
Earlier this winter, in connection with the Algarve Cup, her partner Ulf Lyfors passed away.
The Swedish Football Association announced, in February, that the former national team captain has fallen asleep, 78. Marika Domansky left the Livers of the group in the Algarve after the news and it was a rough spring.
And the premiere of the European Championship against the Netherlands on July 9 in England will be special.
In England, Ulf Lyfors led his team to win Sweden’s only gold medal in the Women’s Championship in 1984.
The feeling is even stronger, especially when we play in the tournament in England. He and I were looking forward to this tournament even though we’d always play for the gold, and I didn’t have any gold, so I knew how proud he was and how much he really wanted to win the gold. They become very sensitive, says Marika Domansky to Lives and continues:
– We play the opening match on his birthday. It’s going to be very special but at the same time I think where I’d like to be on that day otherwise, needless to say. It’s an important match and his birthday. So I consider it a good omen and I hope it is good.
He would be proud of this team. He thinks she has evolved a lot with such a range of footballers. I was very impressed.
‘It was a heavy spring’
Sweden enters the European Championships with a favourite.
Do you think Ulf in Heaven will treat you to gold this summer?
– I’m pretty sure of that. He doesn’t want to get rid of his gold and won’t, he still has it. But if we could get gold, he would have given it to us. But he liked teases, so I heard it several times …
You must have learned a lot from each other, what did you bring with you?
All these years we talked about football, but what I learned from him was to keep it simple, to be brave and believe what you think and want and believe in, and to do it in the blink of an eye. To be yourself. Perhaps that is why he touched so many footballers. For him, the St Erikscupen gold, which he took with our son Joakim, was as valuable as the European Championship gold. That was the approach he took with all the players and everyone around him. This has been with me over the years. We loved talking about football. We had different opinions too…
Marika Domansky LeForce Laughs. She had a hard time behind her, but she landed in the arms of the national team family.
– It’s been a heavy spring. But when I set foot here on Monday, I got the energy and joy of life. It was fun. Football has given me a lot during life. They know, they were there when it happened in the Algarve. It is very good to have such people around you.
