Eriksson under fire as Turkey clash sells out

Sven-Goran Eriksson has been criticised by UEFA president Lennart Johansson for suggesting England fans would put their lives…

Sven-Goran Eriksson has been criticised by UEFA president Lennart Johansson for suggesting England fans would put their lives at risk by travelling to Turkey.

Meanwhile, the Turkish FA have announced that all 42,000 tickets for the Euro 2004 qualifier next month have been sold.

Eriksson claimed "lives may be lost" if England fans travelled to support the team in their crucial Euro 2004 qualifier in Istanbul next month. His comments were met with anger among Turkish officials and now Johansson has stepped in to criticise.

The UEFA president say: "The concerns surrounding the game in Istanbul are serious enough without coaches making unfortunate statements. I am a great friend and admirer of Eriksson but coaches should restrict their comments to tactics, players and promoting and optimistic view on any outcome. When coaches are drawn into making political statements, it has a tendency to go wrong. "