Eriksson Tells Becks To Keep Quiet
Friday, October 15, 2004

David Beckham has been admonished by Sven-Goran Eriksson but was still waiting today to hear if the FA will charge him with bringing the game into disrepute.

The England skipper's admission that he deliberately earned a booking against Wales to engineer a suspension while he was injured overdshadowed the World Cup qualifying victory in Azerbaijan.

Eriksson insisted Beckham would not be stripped of the captaincy but he did promise to tell the player not to be so honest in future public utterances.

In a rare, if mild, public rebuke the England coach said: "David should think next time that talking is silver but being quiet is golden. I think he thought about what was best for England, he thought about playing for England. Whether it was right or wrong, that's another question. For me, it's finished, though."

But the Swede could be overruled by FA chiefs who are under pressure from FIFA to act, and there are hard-liners who believe an example should be made of Beckham. Even sympathetic FA chairman Geoff Thompson admitted he may not be able to prevent further action: "If it was down to me, that would be the end of it. I can't make the final decision but that would be my final thought: to end it, draw a line underneath."

Thompson was seen in heated discussion with other FA members, such as Dave Richards and David Dein, after England's victory over Azerbaijan.

The FA are expected to make a further statement later today. Head of media Adrian Bevington said: "We will obviously have to reflect on David's strong apology. Sven will advise us of his views. If there is something further to say on this subject, that will be for the FA, collectively with Sven, to say."

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger revealed he did not condone Beckham's actions but applauded his candidness. He said: "He was wrong by doing it but he was right by coming out. He suffered for being honest. We live in a society of communication, not of truth. That means if you communicate in the wrong way, you are punished.

"But I would never encourage one of my players to do the same thing, not to go out to get a yellow card on purpose because it is not respecting the spirit of the game. And besides, he could get a red card."

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