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Stunning PR Secretary Faria Alam‘s sex affair with England’s manager Sven Goran Ericsson created havoc and widespread anger at the English game’s ruling body, The Football Association commonly known as the FA.
The F.A. chiefs at the luxurious offices in London’s Soho Square are seething at being humiliated. After issuing a statement denying that the fifty-six year old Swede had been involved with the thirty-eight year old former model, the F.A. then admitted that he did have an affair with her and that she also had been involved with its Chief Executive Officer Mark Partios, 50 at an earlier date.
The lovely girl’s sex exploits were reported in detail, Patios stayed dumb while the Swede said that he did nothing wrong. To save themselves from further blushes the 12-member F.A. Board launched an enquiry into the circumstances surrounding the involvement of the England Manager, the Chief Executive at the F.A. and the female secretary. A special board meeting will be held on Thursday by which time Ericsson’s fate may be known. Sven could be sacked if the FA bosses decide that he is guilty of gross misconduct. If as is rumoured, there is a third senior man at the F.A. who has become embroiled with the gorgeous single at some point, then the F.A. will look like Soho indeed, to repeat what a much respected sportswriter of one of the broadsheets wrote in midweek.
It’s the world’s best known secret that bosses, politicians, professors, sportsmen, aristocrats, members of the royal families, vicars, milkmen, noblemen, rich and poor, you name them and you’ll have them, have sexual relations and affairs. When celebrities, public figures and others in the limelight are found out playing around then it is really party time and the fun continues differently. The star of the show in the sordid affair is the wannabe model Faria Alam, born in Bangladesh but raised in England and who last September landed a £35,000 a year job working as PA to executive director David Davies, at the F.A. The party loving PA dated men from all walks of life. She never hid her love for high life. Faria, a head-turner, who dresses sexily and is nicknamed Ferrari because of her numerous relationships, did not take long to attract the attention of the relatively new CEO Mark Patios who took over from Adam Crozier thirteen months ago. Well before Christmas, the divorced father of five daughters, Patios 51, wined and dined her in London’s lavish restaurants and took her on weekend trips to Paris.
She loved important men competing for her attention and was also dating Sven Goran Ericsson at the same time she was having a passionate affair with his boss! Women! She bedded them at her flat in Shad Thames area, near Tower Bridge. Actually Patios dumped her once. His personal secretary came to know about them and Sven, who apparently pursued her relentlessly, bombarding her with calls and messages became the new man in her life. But she was not happy to be just his mistress and wanted him to go public. A familiar story common to millions the world over. It’s trash. So many people want the cake and eat it, others want to use people because of their position and think that they can have any woman they like. When the story broke a few weeks ago, Ericsson’s live-in partner for six years, Nancy Dell’Olio, an Italian lawyer from Puglia, who was holidaying at her parents home in Bari, rushed to their luxurious £2.5 million flat near Regent’s Park for a showdown but Sven soon took off to his summer mansion in Sunne Sweden. According to Nancy’s father Francesco, they had planned to marry this summer, but since the split Nancy does not even mention his name. It seems it will be their lawyers doing all the talking while discussing their fortunes and joint properties. The tangled story was discussed with a close collaborator who goes by the pen name Babs. Regular readers of this column are well aware of the brilliant comments which this particular soccer analyst gives while discussing issues which dominate sport headlines. The conclusions are generally most interesting. Babs started by emphasising the “restrictions which people in the public eye have to abide with. Social restrictions as some call them. National coaches and international players by virtue of their profession are always in the limelight and their behaviour is always monitored, especially by the media. The right to privacy is enshrined in human rights law. So is Faria’s personal life, and everyone else’s for that matter, whether the name is Ericsson, Patios or whatever.”Babs added “Sexy women always have men chasing after them. These man may only differ in age, physique and wealth. But their intentions are common and very familiar. Men with power and richness are surrounded by pretty women and at times they are tempted. More often both parties seek adventure, fun and possibly an affair. In most cases men or women just use their ‘close friends.’ It is a common story worldwide.” Babs also referred to the headaches the protagonists’ problems caused the F.A. as Ericsson stands firm about his professional integrity and his repeated policy not to discuss his private life. Babs said “Apparently the main point of discussion here is not what he has done with Faria. It is the way he handled it afterwards. The scandal caused a lot of embarrassment to the F.A. which could have easily been avoided. One has to note that the F.A. first denied the allegations, then they had to make a U-turn because of fresh evidence though copies of emails which Faria had sent to her friends and which gave so many details about the whole sordid matter including the standard of performances by the men in question. The FA now has several options which may bring about certain repercussions. Should they sack Sven Goran Ericsson? In that case they have to pay millions or the case may end at the high court. If Ericsson is found out that he has not breached any rules….and he is convinced that he didn’t…. but the FA insists that he should go, they will end up paying up to £14million in compensation. If the F.A. want to get rid of Ericsson and avoid a costly suit they may have to offer him a substantial sum to make him go quietly. The story could well end by Ericsson being sacked and given millions, Faria also given a huge payoff to keep quiet or make more than a million for giving a few secrets and the FA regret that they did not appoint a new manager after the dismal World Cup and Euro 2004 performances.
As Babs rightly said “The greatest mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.”
Meanwhile Ericsson backed by the England players, will not go without a fight.
Get the seconds out.
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