Nancy home to confront Sven

The secretary: Faria Alam yesterday

A furious Nancy Dell'Olio flew home from holiday yesterday to confront Sven Goran Eriksson over claims of a relationship with a Football Association secretary.

Miss Dell'Olio, 45, was said to be 'in a rage' after reports that the England manager had developed a close friendship with Faria Alam, 38 , a former model.

A source close to Miss Dell'Olio said: 'She needed to talk to Sven face to face as it was no good trying to discuss something this important on the telephone.

'She is trying to stay strong and calm but she doesn't know what to think.'

Miss Dell'Olio, who is known for her colourful dress sense, boarded a private jet at Rome Airport wearing a jaunty red hat, jeans, white jacket and her trademark dark sunglasses.

But her expression was stern as she stepped on to the plane, which had been chartered to fly her home from Italy, where she had been staying with her parents in Bari.

Miss Dell'Olio is said to have been struggling to come to terms with the reports of Eriksson's latest friendship.

She has told him: 'I will kill you if this is true.'

Last night she did not join her 56-year-old boyfriend at a Downing Street reception with the Prime Minister to support Britain's young Olympic hopefuls.

But the couple were together at their Regents Park mansion for the first time since the allegations emerged after Eriksson arrived home from the reception at
8.45pm. They were expected to have heart-to-heart discussions.

Earlier in the day Eriksson arrived at the FA headquarters in central London for a different set of crisis talks - this time with his bosses. They later branded the claims about Eriksson and Miss Alam as '100 per cent inaccurate'.

Reports of a relationship were 'completely and utterly denied by all parties', said an FA source.

But it was Miss Dell'Olio, known for her fiery and rather forthright personality, who had the most to say.

'Nothing happened at all and I am still with Sven,' she said after arriving back in England.

'I am looking at the situation very closely with advisers and then we will decide what to do.

'We are still together. I have read some rubbish in the newspapers since I got back to England and none of it is true.' Eriksson, who had an affair with fellow Swede Ulrika Jonsson two years ago, met Miss Alam at the London offices where they both work.

The secretary, who was born overseas but brought up in Newcastle, is seven years younger than Miss Dell'Olio. Both women have striking dark good looks.

Miss Alam turned up for work as usual yesterday and refused to comment about the claims.

During the day she met with the FA's legal team but they decided to take no action.

Eriksson was holed up in a meeting with her boss, the FA's executive director David Davies.

It has been suggested that there have been problems in Eriksson's relationship with Miss Dell'Olio.

He is said to have asked for a trial separation, but she has refused. When he was invited to Norway for a trip on Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich's yacht last week, Eriksson did not ask his girlfriend to join the party.

Eriksson began dating Miss Dell'Olio in 1998 when he was boss of Italian club Lazio. She left her husband to be with him.

The latest revelations come only months after stories of David Beckham's affair with Rebecca Loos and the defeat of the England team in Euro 2004.

In such an atmosphere, some are questioning whether Eriksson should be allowed to continue as England boss.

Additional reporting:
Mark Reynolds

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