All quiet on Eriksson front

2004-08-03 11:02

London - England's besieged Football Association kept tight-lipped on Monday as the controversy over the future of national team coach Sven-Goran Eriksson veered between crisis and shambles.

Reporters hoping for an official response to the resignation of chief executive Mark Palios over the sex scandal which has engulfed the game's ruling body in the country, were left disappointed.

Instead, the outcome of a day-long series of meetings prompted no top level public pronouncements for fear of prejudicing the inquiry into the affair ordered by FA chairperson Geoff Thompson.

"Due to the ongoing inquiry which was announced last week, the FA is unable to provide any conclusive comment at this moment," said a FA statement.

"We fully understand the huge interest and demand for an FA statement and will of course issue any definitive update as soon as we are in a position to do so."

Palios resigned after it was revealed the FA's press chief Colin Gibson had offered to give a national newspaper full details of Eriksson's affair with FA secretary Faria Alam in exchange for the chief executive's own relationship with the same women being kept out of the story.

'Outstanding coach'

Eriksson, meanwhile, arrived back in the country on Monday to be greeted by a media scrum but he too refused to comment on the crisis.

His future as national coach is due to be decided on Thursday when his FA paymasters will decide whether or not he misled them over his dalliance with Alam.

Meanwhile, David Davies has taken over Palios's role as chief executive on a temporary basis.

"Sven is one of the outstanding coaches in the world," said Davies.

"That is why so many people want to hire him. That is why this club or that club or any country seeks his services.

"It is right to say he wants to be coach of the senior England team. He has a consistent track record wherever he has worked and he is popular and highly respected by the players.

"I am not going to talk about the investigation. This is a time for us to rally the staff and rally people around.

"Football is more important than anything. It is a game people care for passionately and we have a responsibility to sort out these problems and come through this period.

"We have had our problems in the past. We had them and we dealt with them and we will do that now."

Meanwhile Eriksson's right-hand man Steve McClaren insists he will not be drawn into the controversy surrounding the future of the under-fire England coach.

Middlesbrough boss McClaren, who is second-in-command to the Swede in the national team set-up, has been widely tipped to take over from Eriksson if the FA decide to dispense with his services.

"You know my policy, it's not to comment on anybody else's job or position," said McClaren.

"It's not for me to comment on all the speculation we've seen in recent days.

"I am the manager of Middlesbrough football club."

- AFP