Sven affair causes media frenzy

There are fears that the attention might distract Eriksson

LONDON, England -- English football fans, still reeling from England captain David Beckham's broken foot, now have something else to worry about -- the national team manager's love life.

Allegations about 53-year-old Sven Goran Eriksson's relationship with fellow Swede and TV presenter Ulrika Jonsson, 34, have created a newspaper frenzy.

The story about the so-called "Swede-hearts" featured prominently on the front page of every British newspaper on Sunday.

There are concerns that the intense media interest might distract Eriksson as his team prepares for the World Cup finals which begin at the end of May.

The Times newspaper said fears were growing for Eriksson's future as England football coach. "Eriksson has already complained about how the British media 'pry' into private lives," it said.

And the newspaper said Eriksson's Italian partner of three years, Nancy Dell'Olio, 37, had said they would decide after the World Cup finals whether to stay in England.

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"England coach looks his old unflappable self but what's really on his mind?" The Mail on Sunday asked.

"The day Sven had more on his mind than 4-4-2," The Observer said in a headline.

Eriksson is said to have developed a close relationship with Jonsson after being introduced by Prime Minister Tony Blair's director of communications, Alastair Campbell.

Speculation about whether the couple were having a relationship reached fever pitch after they were spotted -- sitting separately -- at Manchester United's match with Chelsea in London on Saturday.

Dell'Olio said the stories were nonsense and insisted she and Eriksson would be staying together. "What the papers have printed is rubbish," she told The Observer.

But Jonsson's mother is said to have told a Swedish newspaper her daughter and the 53-year-old coach were "very happy" and had a future together.

Fans have been urged to pray for Beckham's recovery

The newspaper quoted Eriksson's mother as saying: "The boy is over 50 years. You can teach children to walk but you can't tell them what road to take."

Neither Jonsson nor Eriksson has commented on the reports.

An English Football Association source told The Mail on Sunday: "We accept there will be a lot of ballyhoo but we believe it will die down once the World Cup gets under way."

Eriksson, who became England's first foreign manager last February after a successful club career in Italy, was hailed as a saviour after turning around the team's qualifying campaign.

England supporters were already preoccupied after skipper Beckham broke a bone in his foot earlier this month, also dominating front pages.

The Sun newspaper used a picture of Beckham's foot on its front page and called on its readers to place their hands on the picture each day and pray for a quick recovery.