Larsson rejects Swede call

Johansson wrote Larsson a personal letter

Celtic striker Henrik Larsson has again rejected a plea from Uefa president Lennart Johansson to come out of international retirement.

Johansson was one of 110,000 who signed a petition in Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet asking Larsson to play for Sweden in the Euro 2004 finals.

But Larsson said: "Everything I've said before still stands.

"I haven't changed my mind. It's flattering that people are interested, but nothing has changed for my part."

Larsson quit the international scene following the 2002 World Cup but made a one-off appearance last year for the Swedes because of an injury crisis in the squad.

The 32-year-old has still to decide where his club future lies once he ends his long, successful spell with Celtic in the summer.

"For one thing, I have a little more to think over than the European Championships," Larsson told the Helsingborg Dagblad newspaper.

Johansson had said: "He knows the coaches want him, he knows all of us in Sweden want him to be in Portugal.

"We are prepared to make arrangements for his wife and family to join him."

"I first spoke to Henrik about it when I was at Celtic earlier this season to present them with the Uefa Fair Play award for the behaviour of their supporters in Seville last season.

"I told him then he was wanted by his country and I also wrote him a personal letter."