Crystal Palace are still without a manager in the wake of Tony Pulis’ departure, as hot favourite Malky Mackay is axed from the running amidst a fresh FA investigation that has been launched over alleged historical conduct.
Former Cardiff City boss Mackay will not be offered the manager’s position at Selhurst Park as it has emerged this morning that the FA are looking into a conversation that allegedly took place via text massage between the Scot and Crystal Palace director of football Iain Moody, when the two of them worked together at the Welsh club last year.
With Mackay having been odds-on favourite to succeed ex-Palace coach Pulis – who walked out at the end of last week – it was his previous working relationship with former Cardiff head of recruitment Moody that placed him ahead of other contenders for the Palace management role, including ex-Tottenham man Tim Sherwood.
Moody was suspended from Cardiff towards the end of 2013 and Mackay was fired shortly after owing to bust-ups with the club’s headstrong Malaysian owner Vincent Tan over transfer budget.
The text messages between Mackay and Moody – the content of which has not been released – are understood to be deemed unacceptable conduct by the FA and as such, Mackay will not join Crystal Palace leaving Sherwood in the favoured position to take charge by the end of the week.