The boss of a football club has resigned after a bug hidden in his office recorded his sexist and abusive comments about a female executive, The Times can reveal.
Danny Macklin, who was managing director of AFC Wimbledon, described Rebecca Markham as a “slut” and a “slag” and joked about assaulting her.
A covert recording device was placed in Macklin’s office at Cherry Red Records stadium in southwest London by a military veteran working as a club security officer.
The abusive comments were made two months after Macklin and Markham together publicly committed the League Two club to tackling sexism in football as part of the Her Game Too campaign.
Macklin, 42, has also appealed to supporters not to sing sexist songs, saying: “The repeated use of chants that are not family friendly will prevent us from attracting new fans.”
He was previously chief executive of Leyton Orient, commercial director of Southend United and commercial director at Essex county cricket club.
AFC Wimbledon did not disclose the reasons for Macklin’s departure and praised his “hard work” when he left the club at the start of September.
After inquiries by The Times revealed the recording, the club denied a cover-up and issued a statement saying: “Behaviour such as that being alleged was and is not tolerated.”
Macklin was heard discussing how to get rid of Markham, who was ticketing manager having previously worked at Premier League clubs including Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, West Ham and Fulham.
An AFC Wimbledon official who has heard the comments said: “What was said would have been unacceptable in any era and is utterly inappropriate for today.”
In one recording with two female colleagues, Macklin was heard saying: “I f***ing want to put her [Markham] through a f***ing window . . . I’ve never wanted to kill someone, but I’d like to kill her. F***ing slut.”
He said later: “Ah, slut . . . f***ing bitch, I’d like to put her through a f***ing window.” The conversation continued: “I f***ing want to murder her . . . I f***ing hate her . . . f***ing slag.”
Macklin declined to discuss his behaviour, saying: “For legal reasons I make no comment.”
He had earlier written on LinkedIn: “My immediate focus will be on spending much needed time with my young family before taking my next challenge where I hope to use my experience, knowledge and leadership to create success, wherever that might be.”
AFC Wimbledon made no mention of the allegations when it announced Markham was leaving this month. In a brief announcement, it said: “We appreciate the hard work that he has done, as well as his commitment to the club, and wish him all the best for the future.”
The club said in a statement after The Times discovered the reasons for Macklin’s resignation: “Behaviour such as that being alleged was and is not tolerated, nor is it representative of the culture at the club. Once we became aware of the matter we acted appropriately in accordance with our responsibilities and values to promptly resolve it. For legal reasons we are not able to say more.”
AFC Wimbledon is 75 per cent owned by a supporters’ trust, with Nick Robertson, the founder of the online fashion retailer Asos, owning 10 per cent.
The bug was placed in Macklin’s office by Matthew Wells, a British army veteran who worked part-time for the club because he was concerned at the alleged abuse of staff.
Wells, 57, told a friend: “I couldn’t believe what I heard. The way he was talking about Rebecca was terrible.”
He warned a club official that if his concerns were not addressed, he would contact the Prince of Wales, president of the Football Association, whom he met while they were both in the army.
Wells told a friend: “I think the club has responded properly. When they had the evidence, they acted quickly. I think Danny was under a lot of pressure at work but that does not excuse the comments.”
Wells joined the army aged 16 and served in conflict zones including Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. He believes he acted “honourably” in disclosing the private conversation to club officials to protect a vulnerable employee.
He was a colour sergeant when he was jailed for six years in 2009 after his AK-47 assault rifle accidentally fired during a confrontation with his regimental quartermaster over what he believed to be the mistreatment of a female soldier.
