Sven-Goran Eriksson was on his way to catch a plane to London by the time Lazio's president Sergio Cragnotti laid down a public challenge to his coach last night.

"We expect people to be professional and to respect their contract to the end," he said. "And when I say the end I mean the end."

The implication was clear: permission to coach England part-time was out of the question; Eriksson should either devote his energies solely to Lazio until July or leave straight away, a scenario supported by 70 per cent of the club's fans, according to a radio poll.

At a press conference in Hertfordshire today the Swede is expected to clarify whether he will indeed slip the leash to coach England part-time for the three pre-July qualifiers.

Cragnotti's position in this game of brinkmanship is unambiguous. Yet Eriksson's assistant Tord Grip, who has been released by Lazio to begin his scouting work for England, took a different line. "It leans toward a compromise, that Svennis will get a chance to coach England in the three World Cup qualifiers," he said.

Amid such confusion it was little wonder that from the bowels of the Olympic Stadium before yesterday's 2-1 victory against Brescia, Eriksson was unsure whether the chanting outside was friendly or hostile.

Would the Swede who has brought success be given a hero's welcome, or savaged as a defector? The banner headline in the fans' unofficial newsletter was clear: "Sven's blow below the belt."

Whistling started the split second he appeared on a giant video screen. Sporadic abuse rippled into jeers as he entered the tunnel. Maybe it was habit, maybe it was graciousness, but when he emerged, mobbed by cameramen and blinking in the sunshine, the whistling faded. There was a cheer, albeit a small cheer.

A song of joy he has heard for four years wafted from the stands: "Sven-Goran Eriksson, la la la la." Not the most sophisticated lyrics, and without the ardour of old, but rarely did they mean so much.

Eriksson stopped, smiled and waved. The message was clear. The crowd was fickle but he would not be thrown to the lions. Not unless he screwed up.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are in mourning for George "Geordie" Armstrong who has died suddenly at the age of 56. The former Gunners winger, one of the heroes of their famous 1971 League and Cup double side, collapsed at the club's training ground in Hertfordshire on Tuesday while taking a training session in his role as reserve teammanager.

He was taken to nearby Hemel Hempstead hospital and put on a life-support machine but died in the early hours of yesterday morning.

Armstrong, born in County Durham, joined Arsenal straight from school and made his first team debut at the age of 17 before going on to compile 621 appearances, a club record before it was passed by David O'Leary (722) and now Tony Adams (624).

After a 15-year playing career at Highbury he joined Leicester and Stockport before taking coaching jobs with Aston Villa, Fulham, Middlesbrough and in Norway and Kuwait. He was brought back to Highbury in 1990 by George Graham who said he was "devastated" by the news.

Blackburn expect Liverpool goalkeeper Brad Friedel to join them before this weekend. Friedel is currently the subject of a wrangle over a work permit, but after attending a special tribunal at the Department of Employment in London, Rovers officials emerged confident of signing the American.

David Kemp has been appointed the new manager of Oxford United. He will be assisted by former Millwall manager Alan McLeary with ex-Wimbledon boss Joe Kinnear agreeing to join the club as a fulltime director of football until the end of the season.

Veteran striker Tony Cottee has been appointed player-manager at Division Three club Barnet. The 35-year-old former Leicester striker, who only joined First Division Norwich from the Premiership club in September, was freed from his contract at Carrow Road this week so he could take his first steps into management.

Celtic midfielder Morten Wieghorst has taken a giant step on his long road to recovery after contracting Guillain-Barre Syndrome last month. The Danish international was rushed to hospital with the virus, which affects the brain nerve endings, sparking concern among fans and everyone at Parkhead.

Wieghorst, however, is now out of the intensive care marking a considerable improvement in the player's condition.

Huddersfield Town have confirmed caretaker boss Lou Macari as manager on a two-year contract. Macari has brought in former Manchester United and Scotland striker Joe Jordan as his assistant to work alongside first-team coach John Deehan, who stays at the club.

The Brazilian parliament voted yesterday to investigate the bank details of the national football federation (CBF) and its president Ricardo Teixeira. A parliament commission voted by 14 to nine to launch the investigation in connection with Brazil's 10-year contract with Nike, signed in 1997 and worth a reported $180 million.

Parliament said they had launched the inquiry to clarify whether the contract is breaking Brazilian law.