Berkhamsted football boss in racism storm

The messages by Malky Mackay came to light when the club sent a dossier to the Football Association alleging misconduct during his time at its helm.

Sporting director Iain Moody also faced the charge – the recipient of his texts.

Mackay was expected to become manager of Premier League club Crystal Palace, but dropped out of contention when the news came to light.

A source of tension between the two clubs was the alleged leaking in April 2014 of a Cardiff starting line-up to Crystal Palace, where Moody became sporting director after leaving Cardiff.

The 42-year-old Scot said: “Out of 10,000 text messages in and out of someone’s phone I sent three and that being the case, looking at them they are completely unacceptable, inappropriate and for that and for any offence I’ve caused I sincerely apologise for that.

“That’s something I did and there is no excuse for that.

“I did it in a period where I was under immense pressure and stress in terms of the relationships that were possibly not going too well at my football club at the time. But that doesn’t excuse anything and was unacceptable.

“I’m a manager, I’m a leader of people and it should not have happened. But before all that and foremost, I’m a human being and I made a mistake. I’ve been in a multi-cultural football environment for 20 years. I love British football and I am no racist, I am no sexist, I am no homophobe and I am not anti-Semitic, and the people that know me know that and I do understand that it’s the people that don’t know me that I’ve got to convince of that.”

After Mackay dropped out of the running, Tim Sherwood – who lives in Dagnall, near Berkhamsted – was offered the job of manager of Crystal Palace. But he turned it down, not wanting to be seen as the second best.