Under-fire England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, who had been due to face a Football Association (FA) grilling on Tuesday over the sleazy sex scandal that has engulfed the ruling body in London, will now face his inquisitors on Wednesday instead.
The Swede, whose job is on the line following his affair with FA secretary Faria Alam, travelled north to watch Manchester United play PSV Eindhoven in a pre-season friendly at Old Trafford on Tuesday.
The FA council will meet on Thursday to discuss the future of Eriksson who could be removed from his post if officials decide he misled them over the affair.
Meanwhile, former England international Trevor Brooking has been tipped to take on the role of caretaker chief executive following the resignation of Mark Palios at the weekend.
Palios quit on Sunday after it was confirmed that both he and Eriksson had affairs with Alam.
Executive director David Davies has been filling the vacant chief executive role on a temporary basis so far this week but Brooking has been sounded out as the ideal figurehead to represent the organisation over the next few weeks.
The former England international, who has also been touted as a possible caretaker replacement for Eriksson if the England coach leaves, was hired by Palios as the FA’s new director of football development in January.
”In a short time Palios made a big and worthwhile contribution and, in my opinion, it won’t be easy finding the right person to succeed him,” Brooking told Tuesday’s Evening Standard.
”He did some very good work for the FA at a difficult time. His particular area of expertise is finance and in that sense he has made an excellent contribution to the FA and will be a tough act to follow.
”I was saddened and shocked when I heard he’d resigned. I consider him a decent man who brought me into this job and became a good friend.”
Despite pressure to make an announcement on the controversy on Monday, FA officials opted to remain tight-lipped.
”Due to the ongoing inquiry which was announced last week, the FA is unable to provide any conclusive comment at this moment,” a statement read.
The 56-year-old Swede is expected to deny that he tried to mislead his bosses over his relationship with Alam, which forced the FA into an embarrassing retraction to its initial denial of the story. — Sapa-AFP