Harry Redknapp: Malky Mackay made a mistake with homophobic texts but ‘hasn’t murdered anyone’

PinkNews logo surrounded by illustrated images including a rainbow, unicorn, PN sign and pride flag.

Queens Park Rangers boss Harry Redknapp has defended a football manager who is being investigated by the FA for allegedly sending a string of racist, sexist and homophobic texts.

Allegations have been made that former Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay and his then head of recruitment Iain Moody, sent a string of offensive text messages.

One of the texts allegedly read: “He’s a snake, a gay snake. Not to be trusted.”

Moody resigned from his post as Crystal Palace sporting director amid the controversy, but Mackay disputes the allegations, and has said he will defend himself.

Redknapp said: “What I would say is that Malky Mackay has made a big mistake.

“I don’t know the other lad (Moody) but what they have done is not right.

“Malky is a great lad, a family man and a real football man, he has made mistakes and people make mistakes in life.

“Suddenly everyone is an angel, he made a big mistake the lad but it shouldn’t finish his life. He is a good manager and I feel bad for what he has done but I bet no one is feeling as bad as him or his family today.

“I’m not condoning what he has done but show me someone who has ever made a mistake and I will show you a liar. He hasn’t murdered anyone, he hasn’t raped anyone and he is not a paedophile.”

“People get second chances in life who have committed bad crimes – he has made a mistake but we aren’t going to hang him for it are we?

“Hopefully he will learn from what he has done but everyone does the tweeting and texting. I don’t send text messages, but I do receive them with sick jokes. I don’t read them, they make me ill.

“He is a good person underneath all that and I hope he comes back, I can’t feel how he must be suffering for the big mistake he has made.”

Earlier today, the League Managers’ Association (LMA) apologised for a statement it released which referred to the allegations as “friendly text message banter”.