Beckham defends Eriksson
2004-07-29 17:56
Tokyo - England captain David Beckham said he stands by coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, despite growing pressure on the Swede to resign following revelations of an affair with an English Football Association employee.
The FA has called a special board meeting for Aug 5 to consider the future of Eriksson and FA chief executive Mark Palios, who each had a sexual relationship with a 38-year-old secretary in the FA's London headquarters.
Beckham, in Japan for a pre-season tour with his Real Madrid club, said he hopes Eriksson stays.
"He's been a great man to me, a great man to the rest of the players. Every one of the players respects him as a manager and what he does for the team and what he's done for the country, really - and football," he told reporters after a pre-season warm-up match in Tokyo.
"I've enjoyed working with him and I hope I'll carry on working with him," he said.
- AP