Sport 04-08-2004 Eriksson Will Keep His Job who: Sven Goran Eriksson what: Presents his version of "Fariagate" debacle to FA where: LONDON when: Yesterday snippet: "Sven Goran Eriksson last night warned the FA that unless he is given their full support he will quit as England coach and sue them for £14million in damages," says The Mirror. "Eriksson yesterday gave his side of the story for the first time since the Faria Alam sex scandal broke and gave an impassioned defence of his conduct throughout the whole affair." "Eriksson was questioned about what he said to [executive director David] Davies on July 19 when asked about the affair with Davies`s secretary," says The Telegraph. "Eriksson is believed to have repeated to the lawyers what he has already implied in his public statement, that he neither confirmed nor denied the affair as part of his policy of never commenting on his personal relationships." "Asked by Davies whether he was having an affair with Alam, Eriksson reportedly said `this is nonsense`, which Davies took to mean it was not true," explains the BBC. The FA then issued a denial of the affair, which they later were forced to withdraw. Eriksson seemed likely to lose his job for misleading Davies but the story took a fresh twist this weekend when it became clear that the FA had tried to betray their coach to The News of the World in order to get chief executive Mark Palios absolved from blame. Palios has already quit over the affair and the resignation of the FA`s director of communications, Colin Gibson, is likely to be formally accepted today, says The Independent. The received wisdom is that Eriksson will be spared the axe but, according to reporters Nick Harris and Jason Burt, there is an "appetite for further bloodletting at Soho Square" and chairman Geoff Thompson could be the next victim. [... more]

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