Eriksson rejects chance to coach Italy

Sven Goran Eriksson has turned down the chance to coach Italy. For now. He is, though, intending to speak to Geoff Thompson, the Football Association chairman, to clarify his position this week in the wake of Adam Crozier's forced exit as chief executive.

It is understood that Franco Carraro, the Italian Football Federation president, offered Eriksson the chance to return to Rome in style at the weekend. Eriksson lived in the Eternal City as coach of Lazio before joining England and is still highly regarded in Italy.

The post of coaching the Azzurri is still technically held by Giovanni Trappatoni but he is expected to be sacked any day. Under the veteran coach Italy have followed a poor World Cup with a disastrous start to the Euro 2004 qualifying campaign, culminating in a recent defeat to Wales.

Carraro thus approached Eriksson at a private function in the Italian capital on Saturday night – a trip he squeezed in between attending matches at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon and Loftus Road yesterday. Eriksson declined to give an immediate answer. He then returned to London and met David Dein, who is vice-chairman of both Arsenal and the FA, and David Davies, the FA's director of international strategy, before the Loftus Road match. He emerged to say: "It seems everyone is leaving the Football Association but I am staying where I am."

Davies added: "Sven's fine, he's carrying on as usual."

In the last week Eriksson has lost two of his closest confidantes in Crozier and assistant coach Steve McClaren. He admitted he was "devastated" at Crozier's departure and "disappointed" at McClaren's. He has also been distressed at the English media's intrusion into his personal life.

However, he believes England have young footballers capable of winning the European Championship in 2004 and hopes to stay with the FA at least that long. That he is paid £2.5m by the FA, and the Italian job carries a £1m salary, is not thought to be the main reason but it will have been taken into account. Indeed, given Eriksson's admitted preference for the day-to-day involvement of club management, his next job is more likely to be at Old Trafford as Sir Alex Ferguson's successor.

The Italians, though, will not be easily rebuffed. They do not have another competitive fixture until 29 March, when they host Finland, and are prepared to wait. Thus the importance of this week's meeting with Thompson. At the very least, Eriksson will be seeking assurances about replacing McClaren on the coaching staff.

Assuming that Thompson, who ludicrously claimed yesterday he was the real moderniser at the FA, does not drive Eriksson out of the door as well as Crozier, the FA will now be able to concentrate on beginning the search for a new chief executive. Headhunters are to be briefed this week, with the search again encompassing candidates from industry as well as sport. Among the early candidates are Glen Kirton, formerly the organiser of Euro 96 now with Alan Pascoe Associates, Andrew Croker, son of the former chief executive Ted Croker who grew up at Lancaster Gate, Brendon Batson, chief executive of West Bromwich Albion and formerly deputy chief-executive at the PFA, and Keith Harris, the previous chairman of the Football League. Whether any of these talented men would want the newly emasculated job is another matter.

In the meantime, Crozier is expected to continue work despite reports suggesting the Premier League will try and force him to leave immediately. Davies, who it has been suggested will temporarily assume command in conjunction with Thompson and Nic Coward, the company secretary, said: "As far as I understand Adam is coming into work on Monday. I am just doing my usual job."

Paul Barber, the director of marketing who is also said to be on the Premiership's 'hit-list', said he had been asked to stay on and agreed. He added: "At the moment continuity and stability are very important for our commercial partners and our people within the FA."