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LMA issues apology for wording in Malky Mackay statement

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The League Managers' Association (LMA)  has issued an apology for … an apology.

In response to allegations that former Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay had been involved in a bigoted text exchange, the football manager's representative body yesterday issued a statement describing the jokes as "banter" – wording they have now had to apologise for.

In the original statement, the LMA said the messages were sent when "Malky felt under great pressure and when he was letting off steam to a friend during some friendly text message banter."

According to reports, one of the texts referred to an official of another club as a "gay snake", while another directed a racial slur towards one of his own players.

"Friendly text message banter". Unsurprisingly people didn't respond too well to the "banter" excuse when it came to homophobic, racist and sexist jokes:

 

 

This morning the LMA has decided to issue a second statement – an apology of an apology. Suddenly it's all got very Inception.

Today's statement said:

The LMA apologises for some of its wording in its release yesterday, which was inappropriate and has been perceived to trivialise matters of a racist, sexist or homophobic nature. That was certainly not our intention. 
 
It is beyond argument that any comments that are discriminatory, even used in private, are totally unacceptable. The LMA remains absolutely aware of our responsibility to the game and to promote and uphold the highest standards of behaviour.
 
The LMA's website states one of its six major aims is to "encourage honourable practice, conduct and courtesy in all professional activity", and declares it will "carry out all its activity with expertise, professionalism and integrity."
 
Perhaps if they'd simply followed their advice when writing the first statement, they could have saved themselves the effort and embarrassment of writing out another.