ENGLAND COACH:
Sven-Goran Eriksson
Sven-Goran Eriksson's five-year tenure as coach of
England has been marked by one controversy after another.
Even when he was hired, xenophobic fans protested in
January, 2001 that the team didn't need to be guided
by a foreign coach (Eriksson's Swedish).
There is no question Eriksson is a good coach, but
it's his personal life that seems to get in the headlines
all of the time. In the fall of 2004, Eriksson was embroiled
in a personal controversy over an affair with the former
secretary of the English F.A. The tabloids, which always
put the National Team and top club sides under scrutiny,
put Eriksson through the wringer and under the microscope.
"I don't know if you learn to cope with it,"
he said. "When it happened to me the first time,
you have to take a decision by yourself. You give in
to pressure or you go on fighting or don't care about
it. I chose the second one because I will not quit the
job because of the tabloid press. I would quit this
job because of football results. Because the other way
I would give in to the tabloid press. I don't want to
do that. I'm too stubborn for that."
In January, 2006, his usually strong bond with his
players were severely tested after he made some indiscreet
comments about captain David Beckham, Michael Owen and
Rio Ferdinand to an undercover tabloid newspaper reporter
dressed as a wealthy sheikh (we can't make this stuff
up) on a yacht in the harbor of Dubai, United Arab Emirates
(a country that made major headlines in the United States
a little later for other reasons). Although his contract
was to run to 2008, Eriksson told the "sheikh"
that "After 5½ years . . . it is a long
time to be England manager. Anyhow, if I win the World
Cup, I will leave, goodbye."
The Football Association beat him to the punch. Eriksson,
who earns a reported $4.8 million a year after taxes,
will be shown the door after the Cup. You just have
to wonder how many other skeletons Eriksson might have
in his closets.
Born on February 5, 1948, Eriksson has coached club
teams to titles in Sweden, Portugal and Italy. He also
captured the UEFA Cup championship with IFK Gothenberg.
His trustworthy assistant, Tord Grip, has helped Eriksson
considerably with tactics and scouting.
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