Eriksson

There was blood on the carpet at the Football Association Thursday night but it was Sheffield blood, not Swedish. Sven-Goran Eriksson, England’s head coach, was cleared of misleading his FA employers but the position of the chairman, Geoff Thompson, was made untenable (as reported in Friday’s Late City edition). The FA’s board questioned the Yorkshireman’s ability to lead the organisation and appointed two heavyweight members to help him. Brutal.

The seven-hour meeting at the Leonard Hotel near Marble Arch, London, concluded wonderfully for Eriksson but catastrophically for Thompson, who was actually overseeing the denouement of the ‘Svengate’ affair. David Davies, the executive director watching unfolding events from afar, was not mentioned in the report, so confirming his reputation as the FA’s great survivor.

Faria Alam, the FA secretary who had affairs with Eriksson and the now-resigned chief executive Mark Palios, has herself quit the FA and hooked up with the agent Max Clifford, so guaranteeing further revelations in the Sunday newspapers. The board accepted the resignation of Colin Gibson, the director of communications who had sought to protect Palios by leaking details of Eriksson’s liaison to the News of the World.

Whatever the misgivings the board may have had over Eriksson’s ability to coach the national team, they agreed after reading Peter Norbury’s report into the recent FA fiasco that the Swede should be allowed to continue preparing England for the forthcoming World Cup qualification programme.

Reprieved by employers also mindful of the huge compensation he would demand, Eriksson now has a chance to regain public trust through victories over Ukraine, in the August 18 friendly at Newcastle, and next month’s qualifiers in Austria and Poland. If he falters in those, Eriksson will face dismissal for legitimate footballing reasons.

But last night he won a stay of execution. “In the case of Sven-Goran Eriksson, the board decided on the basis of the [Norbury] report and legal advice, that there is no case for him to answer,” read a statement from the board. “In the case of Faria Alam, an employee without executive status within the FA, the board has decided it is not appropriate to make any public statement with regard to her role in this inquiry. The FA announces that it has accepted Colin Gibson’s resignation. The FA wishes to thank him for his services.

“This entire episode has been regrettable for the reputation of football in this country but the board remains determined to restore the highest standards. Deficiencies surrounding management procedures have been exposed and the board is collectively resolved to see this corrected.

“An immediate review will be instituted with appropriate consultation. In the short term, to support the many talented individuals at Soho Square, the board has decided to appoint the chairmen of its two main boards representing the professional game Dave Richards and the national game Roger Burden to support the FA chairman, Geoff Thompson, in his role of leading the organisation in this period.”