The Scunthorpe United manager, Brian Laws, has apologised for describing's his team's defending in the 4-0 defeat at Doncaster Rovers "as bad as the Holocaust". The manager made the comments in a post-match interview on BBC Radio Humberside on Saturday but issued an apology through the club's website on Monday.

"I would like to apologise," he said. "The use of the word was not intended to cause offence and was used in the heat of the moment, in the frustration of the defeat. It was a poor choice of language to define those emotions and wasn't meant in the true meaning of the word."

Radio Humberside presenters immediately apologised on air following Laws's comments.

A spokesman for The Board of Deputies of British Jews said: "Clearly there is either a lack of understanding or a lack of compassion within some sections of the British football world about these issues; a lack of understanding or compassion which needs to be addressed."

Laws's comments came two days after Tottenham fans were attacked by Lazio supporters and subjected to antisemitic chants while in Rome for a Europa League game.

On Sunday West Ham fans appeared to mock the gassing of Jews in the Holocaust as Spurs supporters were allegedly subjected to a second dose of antisemitic abuse in the space of four days.