Manchester United sacks Danish scout over racist Facebook updates

Torben Aakjær claims his account was hacked

Manchester United football club sacked its Danish scout Torben Aakjær last night after he posted a number of racist Facebook updates about foreigners.

The updates have been removed from Aakjær's Facebook profile, but the Premier League club launched an investigation into the comments, which included derogatory comments about Muslims and eastern Europeans, after receiving documentation from the Guardian newspaper.

“The club received the evidence from the Guardian, launched an immediate investigation into the matter and has terminated our association with Mr Aakjær,” the club wrote in a statement. ”Manchester United is an inclusive organisation and will not tolerate this sort of behaviour.”

The Dane's Facebook page also voiced support of right-wing party Dansk Folkeparti's views concerning border control and referred to east Europeans as “dirt and shit”.

READ MORE: 20 years ago: Denmark's forgotten football triumph

Hacked account
Aakjær's account also included an image of six piglets with the slogan “It’s time to deploy our secret weapons against Islamists.” Below the piglets was the caption ”Squeal Team 6” – a pun on the US special forces group SEAL Team Six.

Aakjær did not deny that the Facebook page was his, but he denied making any racist comments, suggesting his account may have been hacked by someone who had it in for him or United.

”I’ve never written anything racist and it doesn’t sound like me. I am not racist at all and I am shocked. When I hear this it sends a different message of the person I am,” he told the Guardian.

Aakjær, who is based in Copenhagen, had been employed by Manchester United since 2011. Before that he worked for Hamburg SV.

This was allegedly the photo Aakjær uploaded to his Facebook page (Photo: Facebook)

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