Eriksson makes classical choice

Eriksson: Has chosen a range of composers

England football coach Sven-Goran Eriksson has ventured into the world of music by putting together a CD compilation of his favourite tracks.

The three CD box-set, entitled Sven-Goran Eriksson's Classical Collection, is made up entirely of classical music.

Composers featured in the selection from Swedish-born Eriksson include those from Scandinavia and Europe, as well as Britain.

The collection, released on Swedish label Naxos, is scheduled to hit record shops across the UK on 8 April, said a Naxos spokeswoman in the UK.

It will be followed on 12 April by an official announcement from the England coach as to why he wanted to compile the CDs.

Range

Among the pieces chosen by Eriksson on the first CD are 17 pieces from British composers.

These include Elgar, Delius, Coates, Purcell, Walton and Wood.

Triumphalist favourites such as Jerusalem by Parry and The Dambusters March by Coates will also be there.

The Spice Girls failed to help 1998's official song to number one

The second CD will feature European classical pieces, while the third centres on works by Scandinavian composers.

The CDs will be in the shops well ahead of kick-off for 2002's World Cup competition, taking place in South Korea and Japan from 31 May.

By then, an official World Cup song for the England squad may have been chosen.

At the moment, speculation continues over who will sing the team on.

Chart battle

Reports that Swedish group The Cardigans had been chosen for the task were later denied by the Football Association.

At the 1998 World Cup there was a three-way fight for the top spot.

The official FA song was Top of the World, written by Echo and The Bunnymen frontman Ian McCulloch and former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr.

It faced competition from Three Lions - originally recorded for the European championships in 1996.

They battled against Vindaloo, sung by Fat Les, a group comprising of actor Keith Allen, artist Damien Hirst and Blur bassist Alex James.

Top of The World reached number nine, compared with number two for Vindaloo and a second number one for Three Lions.