Hege Riise takes over as Norway women’s coach

Hege Riise, a star of the golden age of Norwegian women’s football, is to take charge of national team, the Norwegian Football Association announced on Wednesday. 

Riise, 53, replaces Swede Martin Sjogren who stepped down after a disastrous European Championship, which included an 8-0 beating by eventual champions England.

“I am proud and happy to be trusted to lead the team,” she was quoted as saying in a statement from the federation.

Riise won a record 188 Norway caps between 1990 and 2004. She was on teams that won the World Cup, the Olympics and the Euros. 

Riise, a midfielder, was voted player of the tournament at the 1995 World Cup,

She  was an assistant coach for the US team and interim manager of England between the departure of Phil Neville at the start of 2021 and the arrival of Sarina Wiegman that September. She coached the Lionesses in three matches in a Covid-reduced schedule. She led Team GB at the Tokyo Olympics, reaching the last eight.

She steps up from coaching Norway’s women’s under-19s who she led to the runners-up spot in the age group European championships in the Czech Republic in June and July.

With two games left in their qualifying campaign for the 2023 women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, Norway are three points clear at the top of their European qualifying group and assured of at least a playoff berth.