Pardew 'sorry' for Mido racial abuse

West Ham United have apologised to the Tottenham Hotspur striker Mido for the racist abuse the Egyptian suffered when the two sides met last weekend.

Alan Pardew, the West Ham manager, said: "This was not called for. It is not the image we want to set."

Pardew said that he wanted to apologise for the actions of a few who aimed abuse at Mido because he is a Muslim. He said it was especially important as West Ham are "in the middle of a multi-racial community".

Pardew added: "We want to portray ourselves as a good young team with good fans. Our fans are brilliant. So those little things are not nice. I apologise."

The Football Association has already said it will write to both clubs to ask for their observations before taking any further action, with Martin Jol, the Spurs head coach, reacting angrily, saying it was "tasteless".

Pardew, meanwhile, said he would not dismiss the idea of bringing Roy Keane to West Ham, although he added that he had not explored the possibility. "I would not close the door on bringing a player of his stature to the club," Pardew said of the 34-year-old, who is now a free agent.

West Ham face Manchester United at Upton Park on Sunday and Pardew said he believed it "is not a bad time to play them" because of the pressure they are under to pick up points and the disruption caused by Keane's abrupt departure.