Djurgården fires head coach Jani Honkavaara, Digi Mart USA News: Djurgården is making a drastic change with two matches left to play in the Swedish Allsvenskan season, as the club dismisses head coach Jani Honkavaara from his position.
Assistant coaches Christer Mattiasson and Hugo Berggren have also been forced to leave the club. Djurgården currently sits third in the Allsvenskan table, six points behind league leader Hammarby.
Club football director Maximilian Hahn said in a statement on the club’s website that the club had reached a point where it no longer felt the desired development, daily energy and positivity could be achieved within the current structure. He said the decision to make a change was therefore taken.
Hahn said the club’s clear ambition going forward is for Djurgårdens IF to be a club that competes for the title every year. Honkavaara joined Djurgården in January 2025 and has led the team in 73 competitive matches.
Last season the team finished fifth in the Allsvenskan and reached the semifinal of the Conference League against Chelsea.
Honkavaara told Sportbladet that he had no comment and that the club had said everything. Mattiasson also declined to comment and referred questions to Hahn.
According to Hahn, who joined the club over the summer, Djurgården has continued its succession planning alongside its daily sporting work and has reportedly progressed far in the process of finding its next permanent head coach. “We expect to be able to present a long-term solution as soon as everything is in place,” Hahn said.
Assistant coaches Agon Mehmeti and Abel Lorincz, together with P19 coach Hannes Grönblad, will lead the team in the remaining two Allsvenskan matches. Hahn said they have the club’s full confidence to bring new energy, positivity and clarity to the group ahead of the season’s final matches.
