Eriksson plays for extra time

Sven-Goran Eriksson has told Ulrika Jonsson he will put their relationship on ice until after the World Cup, it was reported today.

The England manager is said to have telephoned her to ask for extra time to sort out his tangled private life. He apparently told Miss Jonsson: "I still love you, but please give me time - my priority is to sort out the finals."

During the call, Eriksson, 53, apologised for not contacting her sooner and explained that longtime girlfriend Nancy Dell'Olio had demanded he take her out for dinner at fashionable San Lorenzo restaurant on Saturday night.

The couple had not spoken since the stories of the Swedes' extraordinary affair broke.

A friend of Miss Jonsson told the Daily Mirror: "Sven and Ulrika are in love. However, he's been knocked for six by the attention their relationship has caused. It's been overwhelming.

"Sven is very wary of mistreating Nancy and doesn't want to be seen as a rat. He's always prided himself on conducting his affairs of the heart with as much tact and decorum as possible.

"In his mind he has already left Nancy. But his priority above absolutely everything else is England's World Cup ambitions. Sven has made it clear to her that while his heart remains with her, his head is with the finals."

Miss Jonsson, 34, spent much of yesterday in the garden of her home at Cookham Dean, Berks, with her children. She refused to speak to reporters, even when a Sven lookalike arrived bearing flowers.