Beckham will not lose focus, says Eriksson

David Beckham will be "very focused" when he plays for England at Euro 2004, Sven Goran Eriksson claimed yesterday.

The England coach was asked about the media furore which has surrounded the England captain over his private life in the past two weeks at a fans' forum at the Football Association's headquarters in London.

Eriksson said: "I have spoken to him several times, as I normally do. He's okay. I suppose he could have done without this, but there we are.

"When he pulls on the England shirt, he will be very focused on what to do. It will be no problem," he added.

Afterwards, Eriksson told reporters: "If he doesn't have a good tournament, the only reason will be fitness level, injuries or whatever."

Eriksson was accompanied by his assistant, Tord Grip, and the FA executive director, David Davies, for a question and answer session with England fans, including representatives of supporters' groups.

The Swedish coach took a veiled swipe at the press when he was asked his view after both he and Beckham have been propelled on to the front pages with coverage of their private lives. He said: "The fact is that football needs the press and the press needs football. The press in this country is very powerful, and as long as they talk about football, if they criticise, I have to accept it.

"What I have never understood in this country is the huge interest in your private life, and I have to accept it because I can't do anything about it, but I never understood it.

"In the country I am from, Sweden, and in Italy, it was about football, not your private life," Eriksson insisted. "It's much better to be on the back page than the front page."

At the question and answer session, Eriksson stopped short of urging supporters to behave at Euro 2004, which starts in Portugal in June. European football's governing body, Uefa, has threatened to expel England from the tournament if there is any repeat of past hooliganism.

Afterwards, Eriksson told reporters: "It will be a small disaster if we leave early for football reasons, it would be a real disaster if we do so for other reasons."