The main representative body of British Jews called Wigan chairman Dave Whelan’s comments “outrageous” yesterday and labelled his apology as “half-hearted.”

Whelan is set to face a Football Association charge after he responded to the controversy over Wigan’s appointment of Malky Mackay as manager by telling the Guardian: “I think Jewish people do chase money more than everybody else.”

The Wigan owner has since apologised for any offence caused but is facing a critical situation at the club. One of the Latics’ shirt sponsors, kitchen firm Premier Range, announced it was breaking ties with the club due to Whelan’s appointment of Mackay, who is himself the subject of an FA investigation for sending allegedly racist text messages to Iain Moody, his former head of recruitment at Cardiff.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews vice-president Jonathan Arkush said in a statement: “Dave Whelan’s comments about Jews are outrageous and offensive, and bring the club and the game into disrepute.

“His half-hearted apology does not go far enough. You cannot insult a whole group of people, and then say, ‘I would never insult them,’ and hope that’s OK.

“We need to see a proper apology and full recognition of the offence caused. Whelan, in his role as chair of a football club, has a responsibility to set the tone for both his players and supporters. Racism and anti-semitism will prevail on and off the pitch if it’s acceptable and unchallenged in the boardroom.

“We will be taking up the matter with the Football Association and Kick It Out.”

The FA’s disciplinary department are understood to be studying the transcript of the interview and it is expected Whelan will face an aggravated misconduct charge — aggravated because he referred to race.

Whelan claimed he saw little offence in one of the texts which, referring to the Jewish football agent Phil Smith, allegedly read: “Nothing like a Jew that sees money slipping through his fingers.”

Whelan told the Guardian: “The Jews don’t like losing money. Nobody likes losing money.”

Jewish Leadership Council chief executive Simon Johnson, a former FA and Premier League executive, called for the governing body to investigate.

Johnson said: “I want the FA to look into this as a matter of urgency and to make sure it is not swept under the carpet to show that they are determined to kick racism out of football.

“Unfortunately these type of comments by Mr Whelan and Mr Mackay are using some of the worst old-fashioned, lazy and offensive racial stereotypes which have been used in the past as the basis for some quite vile anti-semitism.”

Whelan then told the Guardian he did not view the word “chink” as offensive. Mackay had allegedly referred to Cardiff owner Vincent Tan, who is from Malaysia, by that word.

Whelan apologised for causing offence but foolishly denied being racist because he has “hundreds and hundreds of Jewish friends.”

He said: “I would never, ever insult a Jewish person. I have got hundreds and hundreds of Jewish friends. I would never upset a Jewish person because I hold them in the highest regard.”