Long before Sam Allardyce was recorded guzzling down a pint of wine, talking in a derogatory manner about his managerial predecessor and agreeing to a lucrative speaking arrangement, former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson was also caught up in a newspaper sting.
In 2006, the Swede was readying his side for the World Cup in Germany. However, months before the tournament got underway the side’s preparations were thrown into disarray, when the manager was caught up in an undercover report by the now defunct paper News of the World.
Eriksson was recorded sharing some fairly personal details about some of his players, while he also stated his desire to quit the international setup after the World Cup.
Invited to Dubai’s luxurious Burj al-Arab hotel, the then 57-year old walked unsuspectingly into a sting carried out by a man who was posing as a rich Arab businessman.
Amongst the discussion points was Rio Ferdinand’s supposed laziness, David Beckham and Michael Owen’s unhappiness at their respective clubs and the case of a takeover bid for Aston Villa.
Under contract with the English Football Association, Eriksson made it clear that he would be available to manage Villa if the sheikh bought the club and offered him a lucrative contract.
“Everything is possible,” he said, before discussion turned to the possibility of recruiting Beckham.
“I know for sure he wants to come back to England,” he revealed about the then Real Madrid star. “If it’s a London club, he will come tomorrow. So it’s up to me to convince him Birmingham is the right place to be.”
When the meeting was shown to be a hoax in the newspaper, Eriksson was left embarrassed. ‘Sven’s Dirty Deals’, the headline said, while details about his supposed desire to leave the England post and his ability to bring Beckham with him was also included.
The operation cost close to a quarter of a million dollars to set up, but the story became massive national news overnight. Eriksson’s manager, Athole Still, who was present at the secret meetings attempted to defend his client.
“Sven is totally committed to doing the very best for England at the World Cup and it would be a scandal and a disaster if scurrilous entrapment of this kind did anything to destabilise that situation,” he told Radio 5 Live’s Sports Week.
The fact that the pair had been caught up in the situation by notorious undercover reporter Mazher Mahmood wasn’t easily forgiven though. Eriksson, much like Allardyce, was ordered to front the FA and explain himself. He managed to do so successfully and, unlike Allardyce, was able to keep his job.
“I would like to assure everyone, especially the fans, that I’m 100 per cent committed,” Eriksson said in the aftermath of the scandal.
“I have spoken with the players concerned today and I have been very pleased with their reaction. I am confident my relationship with them has not been damaged.”
England went on to crash out of the World Cup at their customary quarter-final stage, with Eriksson departing immediately after it. The disappointing end to his five-and-a half year spell came as no surprise though as it had been mutually agreed upon weeks after the “fake sheikh” situation.
The immediacy of the announcement leaving many to suspect that it proved to be one scandal too many for the Swede.
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