I'm looking forward to World Cup qualifiers, says Eriksson

England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson during Euro 2004 in Portugal. Under-fire England coach Sven Goran Eriksson shrugged off the latest crisis enveloping his personal life by inisting that he is looking forward to plotting his team's path to the 2006 World Cup finals

Under-fire England coach Sven Goran Eriksson shrugged off the latest crisis enveloping his personal life by inisting that he is looking forward to plotting his team's path to the 2006 World Cup finals.

The 56-year-old Swede has seen his future as national coach placed in jeopardy after the Football Association called an urgent meeting next Thursday to discuss claims he misled them over his alleged affair with secretary Faria Alam.

Eriksson may be charged with gross misconduct and dismissed from his post if he is found to have lied about his relationship with Alam, an FA employee.

But he was cutting a defiant figure on Thursday as he attempted to brush aside doubts over his future.

"With regard to the Football Association's forthcoming enquiry into 'the circumstances which led to the FA issuing legal statements based on misleading information', I wish to state unequivocally that I have at no time either categorically confirmed or denied any relationship with Ms. Faria Alam," he said in a statement.

"Moreover neither I nor my advisors had any prior knowledge whatsoever of the statement authorised by the Football Association on behalf of Ms. Alam on Monday 19th July, nor of the press release issued by the Football Association on Saturday 24th July, nor were either myself or my advisors consulted in any way about the contents of either statement.

"I therefore welcome the opportunity to discuss these matters with the Football Association next week, and I look forward thereafter to our qualification campaign for the 2006 World Cup.

"I will be making no further comment on these matters until such time as the Football Association's enquiry has been concluded."

The FA has cancelled a press conference next Wednesday in which Eriksson was supposed to be looking ahead to England's friendly with Ukraine on August 18.

It was deemed 'inappropriate' for Eriksson to meet the media just a day before the 12-man FA board is due to meet to discuss his involvement in a series of incorrect statements released about his relationship with Alam.

"Due to the current inquiry, the FA believes it would be inappropriate to hold such media conferences until it has been concluded," said a statement.

The FA said that no new date had been fixed for Eriksson's press conference.

FA chairman Geoff Thompson has launched an 'urgent inquiry' into how the governing body of football in England came to release potentially misleading comments.

The Swede is on holiday in his homeland and has made no comment on the issue.

Eriksson, whose affair with TV presenter Ulrika Jonsson was exposed two years ago and who also had his supposedly secret talks with Chelsea over their manager's job plastered all over the front pages, is fiercely protective of his private life.

The Times reported on Thursday that FA councillors are unhappy with the way chief executive Mark Palios, also caught having a fling with the woman Eriksson was involved with, forced them into increasing Eriksson's salary in March from three million pounds to five million pounds a year.

Under the headline "FA set to make Eriksson pay for indiscretion," The Times said that if the FA can prove the unmarried Swede misled them about his affair they could have a case for gross misconduct but otherwise they might have to pay as much as 14 million pounds (25 million dollars) in compensation.

England's qualifying campaign for the 2006 World Cup begins against Austria on September 4, so the FA will be anxious to have the matter sorted out as soon as possible.

No England manager has been sacked for poor results since 1966 World Cup winner Alf Ramsey was shown the door 30 years ago.