Former AIK Striker Reveals Thomassen's Fear Tactics Failed to Intimidate Him at AIK
John Guidetti exposes how ex-coach Mikkjal Thomassen admitted he could scare other players but not the veteran forward.
SFN Editor ·
Former AIK striker John Guidetti has revealed explosive details about his troubled relationship with ex-coach Mikkjal Thomassen, claiming the Faroese manager openly admitted to using intimidation tactics on players.
"He had problems with me. He said: 'John, there's nothing I can say to you... It doesn't affect you. The others I can scare, I can make them afraid,'" Guidetti said, speaking to Aftonbladet.
The veteran forward, now 34, fired back at his former coach with a pointed response about his career position and AIK's ambitions. Thomassen took charge of AIK during summer 2024 and initially guided the Stockholm club to an impressive start, remaining unbeaten through eleven matches in the 2025 season.
However, Guidetti believes the team's collapse after the summer break was directly linked to his own benching. "In the first half of the season I ignored him and I got the group together. We weren't fantastic, had zero game plan but were second, third," he explained.
The statistics support Guidetti's claims about AIK's decline. Of the final 17 Allsvenskan matches in 2025, the striker started just one game, and the team managed only six victories during that period. AIK ultimately lost their European qualification spot on the final day of the season.
Thomassen's tough leadership style ultimately backfired, leading to his dismissal from AIK in January 2026.