Both men’s futures appear less secure than that of Eriksson, and they may depart alongside Palios and the FA’s director of communications, Colin Gibson, whose resignation is likely to be accepted today. Davies, who conducted the telephone inquiries with Eriksson which led to the denials and legal proceedings at the heart of the affair, looks particularly vulnerable as the FA was, apparently, unlikely to renew his contract in any event. The Board will decide whether to rebuke or hold a vote of no confidence in Thompson, as seems likely, and whether they should dismiss Davies, over their roles in the affair. Eriksson’s camp is increasingly confident that both he and the FA’s executive director ­ and acting chief executive ­ David Davies will remain in their posts. They hope that the conclusion will be that the whole affair surrounding the issuing of denials and the threat of legal action was due to a genuine misunderstanding between the two men, who remain friends.

A source close to Eriksson dismissed as “absolute fabrication” a report that Eriksson was keen to “do a deal” with the FA and reach an agreement on a pay-off. When Eriksson provided evidence yesterday, the interview took longer than was expected, meaning that Eriksson missed Manchester United’s friendly match against PSV Eindhoven at Old Trafford Instead he stayed in London. That gamble failed.”Two Board members said last night that they were not aware that such thinking was behind Eriksson’s deal but neither was party to the key stages of a deal that was wrapped up before they were informed. Chelsea, who had approached Eriksson to become their manager, subsequently appointed Jose Mourinho. “Some people think the deal was done because it seemed inevitable that Eriksson would go to Chelsea,” one source said. “The rationale was that Abramovich gets what he wants and is willing to pay for it. The more Eriksson’s contract was worth, the more the FA would claim in compensation.

The prospect of Board members openly hostile to one another, and to their chairman, is the last thing the FA needs when tomorrow’s meeting convenes, ostensibly to discuss who was responsible for the Eriksson crisis. However, informed sources suggest that there is certainly an appetite for “more heads to roll”, with at least a section of the amateur game believing the FA extended Eriksson’s contract in the hope that the Swede would leave sometime this year for Chelsea. Vocal protestations by several Board members did nothing to stop Eriksson’s contract from being extended until 2008 at a cost to the FA of some £4m per year. It is understood that instead Palios contacted each of the Board members in turn and explained that it was effectively a “done deal”. This was done mainly by Mark Palios, the FA’s now departed chief executive, and David Dein, vice-chairman of Arsenal and the FA, with the backing of Thompson No formal vote was taken on that issue at a Board meeting. “How did they justify the extension of the contract for a manager before we’d seen how he could perform? They didn’t.”As well as the disquiet from the amateur Board members, at least two of the six members who represent the professional game are still furious about what they see as the way the Eriksson deal was “railroaded” through. “We’ve consistently been told that the FA was cutting back on things, that’s why there’s been a lack of funding throughout the game, that’s why the national centre at Burton has been on hold,” one source said.