Sven lover 'sold story for STG300,000'

Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson's mistress received STG300,000 ($A509,000) to sell her story to two Sunday newspapers, a UK jury has been told.

Faria Alam, 47, began an affair with Eriksson while working as a secretary at the FA and the Old Bailey has heard "first details" emerged when the News of the World hacked their phones.

After she was fired because of the relationship in September 2004, publicist Max Clifford cut a deal for the News of the World (NotW) and Mail on Sunday to give her STG150,000 each for her side of the story, the court heard.

In a statement read out in court, Alam said Eriksson started pursuing her shortly after she joined the FA in April 2003.

The affair began after he took her on dinner dates and then lunch in a private dining room in London, the court heard on Thursday.

"I was impressed - I would say in the office I was going for longer lunches. I'm not sure if they knew I was going with Sven," she said.

The court heard that Alam's phone was hacked by private investigator Glenn Mulcaire on behalf of the NotW in June 2004.

After returning that month from Euro 2004 with the England team, Eriksson told his lover that there were reporters who knew about the relationship and Alam "freaked out".

In an attempt to avoid publicity, the pair flew out to Eriksson's native Sweden, but when they arrived at his home there were reporters waiting, forcing them to stay indoors all weekend.

The story of their relationship appeared in the NotW on July 18, 2004, but Ms Alam was not named and a picture of her outside her flat in south east London did not show her face.

When the news broke, Eriksson asked her "How do you want to deal with the situation?" and she said: "I will deny it."

Despite her denials, she was fired from her job as PA to then-chief executive of the FA David Davies in September 2004 but remained in contact with Eriksson for months afterwards.

Mulcaire has already admitted phone hacking.