THEY say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Betrayal of any kind is pretty unpalatable, but public betrayal and the humiliation that follows must be the hardest to stomach.

Being of Mediterranean temperament, my own immediate reaction would be somewhat Mafia-like. I would probably find myself lying in bed at night plotting the perpetrator's demise, my Goodfellas and the Godfather DVDs close at hand. However, in the cold light of day, faced with the opportunity of retribution, I would be more like Donald Duck than Don Corleone.

This week the national tabloid newspapers have been revelling in England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson's latest alleged affair, with FA Secretary Faria Alam. My reaction to the news was: how does he do it? Let's be honest, Swedish Sven is no oil painting and appears to have as much charisma as an Ikea meatball.

Not only has his partner of six years Nancy Dell'Olio had to endure revelations of his liaison with fellow Swede Ulrika Jonsson, but after swallowing her pride and forgiving him, she is yet again faced with another bout of alleged infidelity.

Reports say Nancy has since terminated their relationship and is busying herself with British Red Cross charity work. In fear of intimate details of their life together spilling out into the public domain, Sven has apparently offered the Italian Nancy £1 million hush money. Considering he earns £4 million a year as England manager, this is hardly a deal his long-suffering partner is going to jump at.

Already it has been claimed £1 million would not keep Nancy in shoes. All I can say is she must be wearing diamond encrusted Manolo Blahniks if that's the case. A word of warning, Sven - gagging tactics won't stop Nancy, remember she might be a hot blooded Italian, but revenge is a dish best served cold.

What a Bloom-ing cheek he's got

I WAS stunned this week when I switched on my television to witness a bizarre and disturbing interview with UK Independence Party MEP for Yorkshire and Humber, Godfrey Bloom.

Following in the faux pas footsteps of his colleague Robert Kilroy Silk, Mr Bloom embarked on a politically-incorrect, sexist tirade, claiming no self-respecting small businessman would employ a woman of child bearing age, which pretty much rules us all out. This is the man who had just chosen to serve on the European Parliament's Women's Rights Committee.

I acknowledge that it can be difficult for small businesses to cope with maternity leave and the absence of an employee for this period, but you have to weigh up the pros and cons. Women are fantastic multi-taskers in the work place and are often viewed as having more loyalty to a company than their male counterparts.

Sadly the York-based businessman, when asked why he wanted to tackle women's issues, said "I just don't think they clean behind the fridge enough." He stated, "I am here to represent Yorkshire women who always have dinner on the table when you get home."

As a proud Yorkshire woman born and bred, it is clear Mr Bloom has not visited my house. The closest thing you'll get to dinner on the table comes in the form of a foil takeaway container.

Mr Bloom may have thought his comments were humorous and witty, but they weren't. Instead, they were archaic and out-of-touch. From my own experience and from meeting other women in industry, it's hard enough competing in often male-dominated areas of business, without some joker making public statements of this nature.

It was interesting to see out of 25 employees at Mr Bloom's York-based financial planning consultancy, only six were female.

I'm just sad these sexist statements were made by an MEP for Yorkshire and Humber. As a county we are succeeding in breaking down the stereo-typed image of being viewed as backward and traditionalist. This episode is just a step in the wrong direction. How dare the London-born Bloom slur the good name of our county?

Updated: 08:20 Saturday, July 24, 2004