By Phil McNulty Chief football writer

Sven-Goran Eriksson may feel he has suffered a new injury to his reputation after the Football Association axed Alan Smith from England's squad - but it is a self-inflicted wound.

The FA is conducting an internal review of its procedures regarding the selection of players facing any kind of police action Football Association statement

England's preparation for the friendly against Denmark at Old Trafford on Sunday has been a farce from the moment Eriksson named his squad.

The sight of Leeds striker Smith doing an undignified hokey-cokey in and out of the England squad only underscored the confusion of the FA - and Eriksson's - selection policy.

In at 5pm and out again at 9pm when the FA discovered, in all too late and embarrassing fashion, that he had arrived to join England's squad via a meeting with the West Yorkshire constabulary and subsequent arrest.

The fact this was a long planned date demonstrates the gross mismanagement of the situation by Eriksson and the FA, excuses about not realising he would be arrested are, ironically, inexcusable.

It was a mess - and a mess entirely of the FA's own making, with Eriksson also implicated.

The FA may have launched an internal inquiry into the mix-up, but it is sure to be buried under the weight of acrimony and bad publicity they so richly deserve.

Eriksson started this week's latest rot by naming an England squad with only three strikers - one who was ill in Wayne Rooney, one who got injured in Darius Vassell, and one who can't strike in Emile Heskey.

It was a suicidal decision, made worse by Eriksson effectively damning with faint praise the England ambitions of Smith and, even more cruelly and shamefully, Southampton's James Beattie.

Suddenly, as the sick bay filled up, Smith was belatedly called in - only to be banished by a gross over-reaction from the FA.

Beattie's call-up as Smith's replacement after the body blow of his earlier exclusion merely confirmed the folly of Eriksson's awful striker selection.

Smith has been left humiliated

The FA, clearly panicked by the Rio Ferdinand affair, obviously felt the need to punish Smith after his bottle-throwing incident during Leeds' Carling Cup defeat against Manchester United at Elland Road.

It was an act of stupidity, but he barely deserved the FA's decision to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

In doing so, the FA has exposed both Eriksson's poor original selection and the extent of their own panic and inconsistency.

They have also undermined Eriksson once more, with another player he has selected suddenly spirited away from him.

It only adds to the growing feeling that Eriksson will be packing his bags at record speed once England's Euro 2004 fate has been decided.

New FA chief executive Mark Palios has handled the Ferdinand affair brilliantly, but the latest episode involving Smith was nothing short of a shambles.

Let's not forget Manchester United's Nicky Butt won three England caps while on bail after a nightclub incident.

As for Smith, he has been publicly humiliated and left wondering when he will get a long overdue chance to stake his England claim.

The FA deserved all the praise they received for their handling of Ferdinand - now they and Eriksson deserve all the criticism that is surely heading their way after the Smith fiasco.