Malmö FF midfielder Anders Christiansen has claimed that the Swedish media played a significant role in the dismissal of former Danish international striker Jon Dahl Tomasson as head coach of the Swedish men’s national team in October 2025.

Tomasson was sacked following a poor run in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, which included a 1-0 home defeat to Kosovo that left Sweden at the bottom of their group.

Christiansen has long spoken highly of Tomasson. The Malmö FF midfielder first worked with him as an assistant coach in the Danish national team and later developed a close relationship when Tomasson managed Malmö FF for two seasons (2020–21), during which Christiansen served as team captain.

In an interview with Aftonbladet, Christiansen said, “The sacking of Tomasson shows just how powerful the media is. Even if he had stayed and Sweden had won the two games in November, the negativity would have remained. It was only a matter of time before it became official. The loss against Kosovo made it easier to sack him.”

He added, “I have to be careful what I say, but the external pressure on him—from TV studios, media outlets, and public discussions—was constant. People were always looking for a negative angle and asking players for their opinions.”

Christiansen continued, “Had Sweden won the matches, he wouldn’t have been fired, but the media helped turn public opinion against him. I wouldn’t say it was 100 percent the media’s doing, but it was an extremely significant factor.”

Graham Potter has since replaced Tomasson as Sweden’s head coach. His tenure began with a loss to Switzerland and a draw against Slovenia, but Sweden still has a chance to qualify for the World Cup through the playoffs in March.