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.