by Our Sports Desk

The pressure on Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore over sexist emails has intensified after Football Association chairman Greg Dyke described the remarks as “totally inappropriate.”

Scudamore has apologised for the emails which were sent privately to a lawyer friend but were published in a Sunday newspaper.

But in a response to Edward Lord, a member of the FA’s Inclusion Advisory Board (IAB), which has been copied to acting Premier League chairman Peter McCormick, Dyke makes clear his view of Scudamore’s remarks.

He also explains why the FA decided not to take disciplinary action against Scudamore — Lord had suggested the 54-year-old Premier League chief should face action.

Dyke says in the response: “In terms of FA disciplinary policy we, as the FA, could have considered taking action had Mr Scudamore’s statements been made in the public arena.

“However our policy has always been that we do not consider something stated in a private email communication to amount to professional misconduct.

“We do, however, consider the content of the emails to be totally inappropriate.”

A special meeting of the IAB has been convened for next Tuesday by the board’s chair, the independent FA board member Heather Rabbatts — who has called the emails “unacceptable” — to discuss the Scudamore issue.

The Premier League said yesterday a formal process was currently under way dealing with Scudamore’s emails.

A statement said: “The governance and board procedure is being followed with the matter being reported immediately to the acting non-executive chair of the board, the chair of the audit and remuneration committee and the shareholders, who are the principal decision-making authority of the Premier League and to whom the chief executive is ultimately responsible.”

Heather Rabbatts, the independent FA board member who chairs the Inclusion Advisory Board, said the Premier League had been asked to respond on the issue.

Rabbatts said: “As has been made clear in the letters from the chairman and general secretary, our view is these comments were totally inappropriate and unacceptable.

“We have convened a special meeting of the IAB from next Tuesday and we have asked the Premier League to respond on this matter, and we look forward to hearing from them before that meeting on the positive and concrete steps that they will take.”

Rabbatts confirmed Scudamore had not been in breach of FA rules.

She added: “The FA has looked into the issue of whether it is a breach of FA rules and this is not the case but it is firmly a matter for the Premier League.”