Win or lose, Sven looks set to reel in the money

This morning, Sven Goran Eriksson will wake up on the South Korean island of Jeju a happy man. He is already tipped to be one of the most successful England managers ever, after taking a struggling squad to the World Cup finals.

Win or lose, he will certainly become the richest, thanks to an extraordinary campaign of promotions and endorsements embracing video games, CDs and pasta sauce.

But the scale of Eriksson's commercial activity has alarmed the Football Association and led to accusations that the beautiful game has been pushed aside in pursuit of commercial endorsements.

Football writers say it is hard to get to the Swede, complaining that he says more about his money-spinning ventures than the England side. Indeed, last month, journalists were barred from a press conference unless they agreed to include the "branded image" of a new Play Station game – "Sven Goran Eriksson's World Cup Challenge". Commentators who once viewed the Swede as the dignified saviour of English soccer have turned against him. Last week, former sports minister David Mellor said Eriksson had "sold his soul".

His FA bosses are also said to be uneasy at a level of business activity that far outstrips anything seen by previous holders of the job. Sir Alf Ramsey received nothing more than £3,000 a year – and he actually won the cup. Sven, by contrast, earns £2.5m a year, with the promise of an extra £500,000 if the team triumphs.

Win or lose, the "ice man" will make more than £10m from a commercial strategy said to have been masterminded by his Italian girlfriend, Nancy. He has pre- sented a selection of classical tracks for Naxos records, he can be seen in a Sainsbury's TV advert alongside Jamie Oliver and will soon be promoting an Italian pasta sauce.

Players stand to receive around £200,000 from the squad's numerous endorsements from firms such as Umbro and Coca-Cola – even if they get knocked out in the first round.

Just sitting on the World Cup bench will increase the value of their personal sponsorship agreements, mostly worth between £50,000 and £100,000 for wearing a manufacturer's boots and leisure wear. The biggest stars, David Beckham and Michael Owen, command millions in additional fees. Beckham recently became the highest-paid footballer in the world when he signed a contract with Manchester United that tripled his weekly wages to £90,000, taking annual earnings above £12m.

Man Utd's manager Sir Alex Ferguson is currently the highest-paid in British football, set to earn £11m over three years. But with IMG behind him, Eriksson is expected to make substantially more once the tournament is over.

An FA spokesman said that all Eriksson's commercial activities were approved by the association and denied that they interfered with football in any way.

He said: "He's worried about the World Cup, not a few disgruntled journalists. It's water off a duck's back."

Additional reporting by Claire Newbon and Jonathan Thompson

Who gets what

David Beckham (Man Utd) £5m
Michael Owen (Liverpool) est £2.5m
Sol Campbell (Arsenal) est £1.5m+
Robbie Fowler (Leeds ) est £1.5m+
David Seaman (Arsenal) est £1.5m+
Nigel Martyn (Leeds) est £400,000
Rio Ferdinand (Leeds Utd) est £300,000
Teddy Sheringham (Tottenham Hotspur) est £300,000
Paul Scholes (Man Utd) est £100 000
Nicky Butt (Man Utd), est £100 000
David James (West Ham) est £75,000
Danny Mills (Liverpool) est £75,000
Emile Heskey (Liverpool) est £75,000
Martin Keown (Arsenal) est £75,000
Ashley Cole (Arsenal) est £75,000
Wes Brown (Man Utd) est £75,000
Kieron Dyer (Newcastle) est £50 000

Promotion prospects

Sven is estimated to earn £1m currently from endorsements, rising to £10m soon. Includes:

Sainsbury's TV ad, £200 000;
Playstation 'Sven Goran Eriksson's World Cup Challenge' (undisclosed);
Naxos classical CDs, £50,000;
Ciara Del Monte pasta sauce TV ad, £250,000