Malky Mackay and Iain Moody have continued to maintain their silence after a dossier containing serious allegations of misconduct against them was submitted to the Football Association by Cardiff City, the pair's former employers, prompting an investigation by the governing body.

However, the League Managers' Association risked exacerbating an already fraught situation when it put out a statement defending Mackay, admitting the existence of questionable text messages but claiming that he "was letting off steam to a friend during some friendly text message banter".

The LMA said: “In the course of a search by the club in early 2014 of 10,000 private text messages sent to and from another member of staff during Mr Mackay’s employment at Cardiff, in relation to other matters, it emerged that Malky had, it seems, sent a couple of one-line texts that were, with the benefit of hindsight, very regrettable and disrespectful of other cultures. These were two text messages sent in private at a time Malky felt under great pressure and when he was letting off steam to a friend during some friendly text message banter. That said, Malky believes he could and should have conducted himself better on these two isolated occasions. If Malky has caused any offence, however, wish to sincerely apologise.”

‘Very concerned’

It added: “Malky is also very concerned about seriously inaccurate and misleading reports of his alleged involvement in these matters in the media. It has never been alleged that he wrote any homophobic or sexist messages and he has confirmed that he did not do so.”

A series of alleged racist, homophobic and sexist text messages, as well as information on a number of transfers at the Welsh club, were included in the dossier compiled by the Cardiff owner, Vincent Tan, and the London law firm Mishcon de Reya. Moody has stepped down from his role as Crystal Palace's sporting director and Mackay's appointment as manager was shelved by the south London club this week, with Keith Millen remaining in caretaker charge.

The Kick It Out chairman, Lord Ouseley, said he supported action against all cases of prejudice and bigotry. "What you see at face value is not always reflective of the attitudes held deep down. It's easy to present yourself as being reasonable and fair, and to behave in ways that hide prejudice and bias," said Ouseley. Guardian Service