Bo "Bosse" Johansson

Bo Villy Roland Johansson was born on 28 November 1942 in Kristdala, a village outside Oskarshamn in Småland, Sweden. He received his football upbringing locally with IF Ariel, and was known throughout his life by the nickname Bosse. Kristdala remained a point of pride for him, and Swedish newspapers often called him the son of Kristdala.

Johansson joined Kalmar FF ahead of the 1962 season, when the club was in the Swedish second tier and chasing a return to the Allsvenskan. He played for Kalmar until 1972 without winning a trophy, and later turned out as player-coach for Lindsdals IF from 1974 to 1976.

He first coached Kalmar FF in 1973, then built his methods as player-coach of Lindsdals IF in divisions 3 and 4. Returning to Kalmar in 1977, he took the club to third place and then fourth in the Allsvenskan. At Östers IF from 1979 to 1981 he won the Swedish championship in 1980 and 1981, opening the 1981 season with ten straight wins and handing a young Thomas Ravelli his chance in goal. A third Kalmar spell in 1982 and 1983 brought relegation and then promotion back to the top flight. He coached FK Jerv in Norway in 1984 and 1985, returned to Öster from 1986 to mid-1988, and then coached Panionios in Greece, reaching the 1989 Greek Cup final, which was lost 3-1 to Panathinaikos. He coached the Iceland national team in 1990 and 1991. At Silkeborg IF from 1992 he won the 1993/94 Danish Superliga, the club's only championship, and in 1995 he took HJK Helsinki to third place in Finland before a short spell at Kalamata in Greece.

Appointed by the Danish Football Union in 1996 to succeed Richard Møller Nielsen, Johansson brought a more attacking style and a warm, humble manner that made him instantly popular. Denmark qualified for the 1998 World Cup in France, its first World Cup finals since 1986. After beating Saudi Arabia 1-0, drawing 1-1 with South Africa and losing 2-1 to France, Denmark beat Nigeria 4-1 in the round of 16, a performance Johansson called the best of his time in charge. On 3 July 1998 in Nantes the team lost 3-2 to Brazil in the quarter-final, still Denmark's best World Cup result. He also qualified the team for Euro 2000 in Belgium and the Netherlands, having already announced he would leave afterwards. Denmark lost all three group matches without scoring, the last a 2-0 defeat to the Czech Republic in Liège on 21 June 2000, but fans applauded him off the pitch. His record was 40 matches, 17 wins, nine draws and 14 defeats. Morten Olsen succeeded him.

After Denmark, Johansson spent more than two years away from coaching in Kalmar, playing golf and serving on the board of Kalmar FF, and turned down approaches from several clubs. In 2003 Thomas Ravelli persuaded him to take over IFK Göteborg, who had only just survived relegation. IFK finished seventh in 2003 and third in 2004, also reaching the 2004 Swedish Cup final, and he was named coach of the year in the Allsvenskan for 2003 by the referees' association Elitdomarklubben. He left IFK after the 2004 season, took over Molde FK at two weeks' notice in 2005 and won the Norwegian Cup, then stepped away from head coaching. He returned briefly as a mentor to Andreas Thomsson at Åtvidabergs FF in 2010, and his last official role was as assistant coach of Lindsdals IF in 2015.

Johansson was married to Christina (spelled Kristina in some Danish reports), who moved with him between jobs and who, by both their accounts, persuaded him to give up the Denmark job when the stress was costing him his sleep. During his Denmark years the couple lived in Dragør, and they kept their home in Kalmar, where he returned after every job. In a 2018 interview with DR he described enjoying retirement with his wife, his garden and visits from his grandchildren, and playing golf two or three times a week. A street in Kalmar, Bossevägen, was named after him.

Johansson believed the person had to come before the footballer: if the human being in the player was not thriving, the player would not thrive either. He also lectured on leadership and worked from ten principles, including being open to others, remembering that everyone is different, not demanding perfection, encouraging rather than criticising, being grateful, reliable and helpful, and always thinking positively. As a rule he never coached a club for more than three seasons in a row, and he left IFK Göteborg saying he did not need a reason to stop.

In Denmark he is remembered as the Swedish gentleman who gave the country the summer of 1998, its best World Cup ever, and Silkeborg's only league title. In Sweden he is remembered as the coach of Öster's golden years. Former players including Martin Jørgensen, Stig Tøfting and Morten Bruun praised his human qualities after his death, and Silkeborg IF's director said he had legend status at the club.

As coach: Allsvenskan champion with Östers IF in 1980 and 1981; Danish Superliga champion with Silkeborg IF in 1993/94; Norwegian Cup winner with Molde FK in 2005; World Cup quarter-finalist with Denmark in 1998, and qualified Denmark for Euro 2000. Individually he was named coach of the year in the Allsvenskan for 2003 by Elitdomarklubben, and Bossevägen in Kalmar bears his name.

His family announced through TV 2 Sport on 15 October 2026 that Bo Johansson had died at the age of 83. The exact date, place and cause of death were not made public in the first reports, although Silkeborg IF's director said Johansson had struggled with his health for a long period. Kalmar FF said he had passed away peacefully, and tributes followed from Östers IF, Molde FK, Danish and Swedish media and many of his former players.