Sven-Goran Eriksson has admitted his affair with Ulrika Jonsson (R) while dating Nancy Dell’Olio (L) was stupid (Image: Getty / PA.)
The late refuted any allegations of misconduct in his personal life, dismissing claims of ‘so-called affairs’ prior to his passing in August.
Eriksson, the former manager, was given a heartfelt send-off last month with football icons such as and among those present at his funeral. Known for being one of Europe’s top coaches at the dawn of the millennium, Eriksson also found himself in the limelight for reasons beyond football.
During his tenure as England boss from 2001 to 2006, the Swede was notably involved with two women, TV presenter Ulrika Jonsson and then-FA secretary Faria Alam, despite being publicly linked with Italian lawyer Nancy Dell’Olio, who was also present at his funeral.
Eriksson’s romantic escapades meant that his image frequently graced both the front and back pages of newspapers during his time as England manager, with paparazzi always on his tail. However, the former Lazio, and boss, who passed away at 76 after a fight with pancreatic cancer, denied any impropriety before his death.
“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 penned in his soon-to-be-published memoir, A Beautiful Game, as published by the .
Sven-Goran Eriksson during his time in charge of England. (Image: Getty Images)
“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.”
Sven-Goran Eriksson and Nancy Dell’olio together. (Image: Getty Images)
The Swedish manager also divulged details about how his relationship ended with Dell’Olio. He disclosed: “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.
“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.
“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.
TV presenter Ulrika Jonsson in October 2002. (Image: PA)
“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.”