Ireland went along with his girlfriend Jessica’s suggestion to tell manager Steve Staunton he needed to get home as his grandmother had died. In fact Jessica wanted his company after a miscarriage.

Eriksson stressed: “If I was the manager of Ireland, I would be disappointed.

“But Stephen Ireland should not be crucified for the rest of his life.

“I need to speak to him and then move on. He is young and he’s had some problems.

“Whatever problem you have in life, when you talk to your club or country and the managers, keep to the truth. Do not lie. That is stupid.

“If you have a problem you try to resolve it. We will try and help him.

“I like him as a person and a footballer. I hope he still has an international future. Absolutely. He can play left, right, centre and he is very young.”

Ireland pulled out of the squad for the Republic’s match against the Czech Republic in midweek, shortly after Saturday’s draw in Slovakia.

The Football Association of Ireland appear sympathetic towards the player despite his lies.

In a statement the governing body said: “ [The FAI] welcomes the statement by Stephen Ireland clarifying the events surrounding his withdrawal from the senior international squad following the Euro 2008 qualifier against Slovakia last weekend.

“The FAI acted in good faith at all times and always put the best interests of the player first.

“What occurred was a result of a traumatic situation for a young player and his girlfriend, and the association does not believe that they realised at any time the full implications of their actions or the distress that it would cause.”

Staunton said: “I welcome Stephen Ireland’s clarification of the situation.

“He is a player who loves playing for his country and unfortunately made a poor judgment call because of the traumatic circumstances he found himself in.

“I hope he can now put this behind him and learn from it because he is a young player with a tremendous future in the game.”

Ireland claimed he panicked when he heard how upset his girlfriend Jessica was after the miscarriage and lied first of all about his maternal grandmother dying and then his paternal grandmother passing away.

He was found out when the FAI traced both women and realised they were still alive.

In a statement released through his club, Ireland said: “The miscarriage that Jessica suffered last Saturday has caused both of us a lot of heartache and had caused us both to panic.

“It was wrong and I sincerely apologise, particularly as I caused a lot of problems for many people.

“I would like to apologise to my grandmothers and all my family for any distress I have caused them.

“Ireland manager Stephen Staunton, my Ireland team-mates, the backroom staff and the FAI also deserve my profound apologies.

“I love playing for my country and am grateful for the understanding Mr Staunton and the FAI have shown to me since I told them the truth.

“I have learnt a valuable lesson from this mess and hope those I have hurt by my actions will forgive me.”