Sven-Goran Eriksson's last words on love life written before his death - 'all hell broke loose'
Sven-Goran Eriksson's time as England boss isn't just remembered for how the Three Lions performed on the pitch, but also the Swede's high-profile love life and two affairs
by Nathan Ridley · The MirrorThe late Sven-Goran Eriksson denied doing 'anything wrong' when it came to his love life and hit back at claims of 'so-called affairs' before his death in August.
Former England boss Eriksson was laid to rest last month at an emotional funeral service, with David Beckham and Roy Hodgson among the stars in attendance. Renowned for being one of Europe's best coaches at the turn of the century, Eriksson also made headlines off the pitch.
The Swede notably dated two women during his time in charge of England from 2001 to 2006, including TV presenter Ulrika Jonsson and then-FA secretary Faria Alam. That was despite him being in a public relationship with Italian lawyer Nancy Dell'Olio, who also attended his funeral.
Eriksson's flings meant that while he was England manager, his face regularly made both the front and back pages of newspapers, with paparazzi never far away. But the ex-Lazio, Manchester City and Leicester boss, who died aged 76 following a battle with pancreatic cancer, denied any wrongdoing before his passing.
"None of the 'scandals' I wound up involved in had anything to do with the football played by the 11 players I sent on to the pitch and I would never have dreamt that there would be such an uproar about my so-called 'affairs'," Eriksson wrote in his soon-to-be released memoir, A Beautiful Game, as published as by the Mail.
"Of course, I did date women I wasn't married to, but that’s something many men do. I wasn't married myself, so it actually wasn't a big deal. I was a grown man who met grown women who knew what they were doing.
"In my opinion, I didn't do anything wrong. That's what I thought then, and that’s what I think now but all hell broke loose. I could dominate both the front and back pages of the tabloids for several weeks. I was everywhere, and that wasn’t where I should have been, considering my job."
Eriksson also shed light on how his high-profile relationship with Dell'Olio came to an end, despite the fact she'd publicly stood by him until 2007. "My move to England coincided with the final phase of my relationship with Italian lawyer Nancy Dell'Olio. Officially we lived together in London, but the truth was that I had moved out and kept up appearances by occasionally living in our shared flat," he revealed.
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"In early 2002, I had also started secretly dating TV presenter Ulrika Jonsson, a fellow Swede. It was nothing serious but the FA brought in a media expert who said there was no chance of nipping the story in the bud. I was too famous, and Ulrika too. 'We'll just let this one peter out', was his recommendation.
"It did ebb away after a while, but it was rough while it lasted. Then a new tide came in when two years later I started seeing Faria Alam, an FA secretary. The story had the added spice of the then CEO of the FA, Mark Palios, also having had an affair with Faria.
"When rumours started flying about Faria's relationship with Palios, the FA's press officer, Colin Gibson, told me that the problem could be resolved if I granted the News of the World a personal interview in which I talked about my relationship with Faria. Palios' name, on the other hand, would not be mentioned. I was to be sacrificed to save his skin.
"I told Gibson that he was a son of a b****. Ultimately, both Gibson and Palios had to leave their jobs: Gibson because he had tried to obscure Mark Palios' role in the matter. I've been asked many times whether I regret meeting Faria Alam and Ulrika Jonsson. Well, if I had known what it would lead to, I might have called it all off."
Eriksson then doubled down on his plea of innocence by saying: "In purely ethical terms, I don't understand why I shouldn’t be able to have a relationship with whoever I want. But one of the hardest things to deal with was the end of my career as England manager. Around that time Nancy and I also finally ended our relationship.
"I didn't have any steady relations after the break-up, but I did meet a lot of women. It wasn't that they functioned as consolation when I was feeling down, because what I was missing was not a relationship. It was football.
"I missed being in the limelight, I missed the social aspects - and I missed the feeling of winning football matches. Overnight, I went from sitting on the bench for England in the World Cup, to sitting in my newly-renovated home overlooking Lake Fryken."
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