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Malky Mackay takes interim charge of Scotland

Ian MacNicol / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Malky Mackay is no longer just a performance director.

On Friday, the Scottish Football Association announced that Mackay will take interim charge of Scotland for its friendly against the Netherlands in November. The game will take place at Aberdeen's Pittrodrie Stadium.

Mackay, who is employed as the SFA's performance director, last took a job in management at Wigan Athletic, where his appointment was criticised following a scandal in which he allegedly exchanged racist, sexist, and homophobic text messages with Iain Moody, who subsequently lost his role as Crystal Palace's sporting director. Both men escaped prosecution.

Also included on Mackay's managerial resume are Cardiff City and Watford.

Speaking at a media conference on Thursday, Stewart Regan, the SFA's chief executive, declared: "Malky's the performance director. He has got a big job to do and a number of challenges that he is working on at the moment. To be fair to Malky he has responded to the board's request. We asked him to take the team in Aberdeen and he was delighted to do so. As far as Malky is concerned, he will then focus on his performance responsibilities. We asked him literally in the aftermath of yesterday's decision to lead the team for one match. We haven't discussed anything further as far as the recruitment campaign is concerned."

After Scotland's failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, Gordon Strachan left the national team. The SFA will be led by a new manager in preparation for Euro 2020, and David Moyes is reportedly keen on the job.

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