Italy's football federation has denied claims that Sven-Goran Eriksson is wanted as national coach after delivering public backing to Giovanni Trappatoni.

Federation president Franco Carraro has written to FA chairman Geoff Thompson to reject speculation that Eriksson was being lined up to replace Trappatoni.

And a potential Italian escape route for Eriksson was closed off after it was announced Trappatoni would be staying until June 2004.

A spokesman for the Italian federation, the FIGC, said: "It is not the policy of our federation to make contact with coaches currently under contract.

"No one from FIGC has made any contact with Mr Eriksson."

Trappatoni's job was under threat after the Euro 2004 qualifier defeat against Wales in Cardiff, but he has been given support from Italy's soccer hierarchy.

The former Juventus, Milan and Inter coach said: "Carraro asked me to make a real go of it during the rest of the Euro 2004 qualifiers."

And Eriksson, helped by assurances from the FA hierarchy as he attended Arsenal's game with Fulham at Loftus Road, has again re-iterated his commitment to England.

He said: "Everything around me may be changing, but I'm staying the way I am."

Eriksson's agent Athole Still also insisted that the Swede would not be quitting as England coach.

"All I can say is that the speculation is, as far as I am concerned, extremely ill-informed," Still told BBC Radio Five Live.

"Nothing that Mr. Eriksson has said to me in the last few days, right up until the last time I spoke to him, which was inside the last 24 hours, gives me any indication he's considering his position as the national coach."

Eriksson is disappointed at the departure of his closest ally in the Football Association, chief executive Adam Crozier.

And he has also seen the influential Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren leaving his backroom set-up.