SVEN-GÖRAN ERIKSSON made grovelling telephone calls to senior England players yesterday as he sought to limit the damage caused by his indiscretions to a “fake sheikh”. The Swede was forced to apologise to David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen, among others, after revelations that have dented his image even if they never threatened to cost him his job.
The head coach’s main concern was that he might have harmed his relationship with the players and, had that been the case, he might have been forced to consider his position. Fortunately for him, a round of painfully awkward telephone calls, to the above trio and Rio Ferdinand brought sympathetic responses.
“I have spoken with the players concerned today and I have been very pleased with their reaction and am confident my relationship with them has not been damaged in any way. It would have been better without it [the article], but there are no problems,” Eriksson said, although the idea of the head coach having to ask his players for forgiveness may trouble those who already believe that he surrenders too much influence to his squad.
The Football Association is standing by its man but the latest embarrassment will have strengthened the views of those who already believed that, after more than five years in charge, Eriksson’s time should be up at the end of the 2006 World Cup finals. He may not have been actively touting for a management job from the News of the World’s undercover reporter but, had there been an offer at £5 million “netto ” a year, the Swede might have been in no great rush to knock it back.
Public opinion appeared to be divided between those who believe that Eriksson was the victim of a newspaper scam and those who, after flirtations with Manchester United and Chelsea, are angry that the Swede always appears to have an eye on the next opportunity.
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Eriksson believes that he is entitled to listen to offers while under contract and, in this instance, he at least informed the FA that he was making the trip. They had no objections.
Given that he will be due a huge payoff on his salary of £3 million after tax if he is dismissed this summer, some board members at Soho Square might have been relieved to hear that he had found himself another job — and they will certainly be less than impressed by the claim of Athole Still, Eriksson’s agent, that the Swede was seeking to extend his contract until 2010.
Hypothetical talk of managing Aston Villa or leaving after the World Cup finals was of little consequence, while the idea of the England captain lining up for Aston Villa must have brought a chuckle even in the Beckham household. Far more troubling might have been Eriksson’s remarks about his players, although there is nothing that should haunt him up to the World Cup.
As Still pointed out yesterday, “he has not said that any player is not good or cannot be trusted”, Ferdinand can hardly object to being described as “lazy”, while the suggestion that Wright-Phillips — whom Eriksson could not contact yesterday to apologise — was overpriced at £24 million is hardly controversial. Nor can the Liverpool tourist board dispute that Rooney is from “a very rough area”.
Beckham and Owen might have the most cause to be upset given Eriksson’s comments about their alleged discontent at Real Madrid and Newcastle United respectively but they are not about to turn on a head coach who has backed them so strongly on the basis of a few indiscreet remarks. “I don’t think there will be a problem between Michael and the Newcastle fans,” Eriksson said.
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It was just Eriksson’s luck that he attended a Football Writers’ Association dinner at the Savoy last night, where all of Fleet Street was gathered to greet him. So, too, was Brian Barwick, the chief executive of the FA, who spoke to senior figures within the organisation yesterday before issuing a statement that confirmed “full support” for Eriksson.