"I am not and will not be the England coach," he said.

Speaking only in Portuguese at a pre-arranged press conference in Marienfeld, Germany, Scolari said he had asked for his name to be taken off the list of candidates.

"The English FA is going to choose a name," Scolari said. "But my name isn't one of them because I'm closing this matter here. I was very pleased they considered me, but definitely at this time I want to draw a line under this matter. It was an interesting offer with several interesting options and I really thought about it for a long time."

Brian Barwick, the chief executive of the FA, spoke with the current Portugal coach earlier this week and there were strong reports today that he had signed an agreement with England. However, Scolari said this afternoon that he has ruled himself out of the running and will not take on one of the most high-profile jobs in football. Indeed, he mentioned that the intense media scrunity he has endured over the past 24 hours had persuaded him to withdraw.

"I don't want anything more to do with this England matter because in the space of two days ... my life was invaded, my privacy was disrupted," he admitted. "Today there are still 20 reporters outside my home and if that is part of another culture it is not part of mine."

Scolari also reaffirmed his commitment to Portugal, with whom his contract as national coach runs out on July 31. He also has a "gentleman's agreement" that he would not accept another job before the end of the World Cup.

"I feel I'm still important in Portugal for the national team, for the people of this country and for the project we've started since 2003."

The FA will now need to look elsewhere for their successor for Eriksson, who is due to leave his post at the end of the World Cup finals in Germany. Steve McClaren, the Middlesbrough manager, is the likely second choice, although the FA released only a terse statement in which they acknowledged Scolari's comments.

"Luis Felipe Scolari this afternoon made the FA aware of his intention to release a statement regarding the England head coach position," the FA's statement read.

"It is no secret that Mr Scolari is one of the candidates that the FA has spoken to as part of the recruitment process. We will now reflect on his announcement before making any further comment as we move forward with the process."

Explore Football

• Premier League

• Football League

• Scotland

• European Football

• International Football

• TheGame

• Live Match Tracker

• The Fink Tank

• Fantasy Football