Nottingham County Football Club for sale after chairman Alan Hardy accidentally posts x-rated photo online

A week after accidentally posting a racy photo on Twitter, Alan Hardy is selling the club. Photo / Getty/Twitter

An English football club has been put up for sale following a humiliating mistake by its chairman.

The Nottingham County Football Club received unwanted global media attention last week after chairman Alan Hardy accidentally posted an intimate x-rated photo on his Twitter account.

Hardy removed the tweet upon noticing his inappropriate mistake but the damage had already been done.

"This was clearly an honest mistake as a result of my camera roll being included in a screenshot," he explained last week. "I tried to rectify the error by deleting the tweet as soon as I noticed."

After considerable "soul searching," Hardy reluctantly announced today that he had put the League Two club up for sale and insisted that the aftermath of the racy incident wasn't the reasoning behind his decision.

"I no longer feel I can continue as the owner of Notts County Football Club," he said in a statement.

"I would like to make it clear from the outset that the club's current league position is not a factor in this decision, nor are any of the events which have unfolded in the media this weekend. The buck stops with me. I take ultimate responsibility for our current situation.

"Everyone at Meadow Lane remains staunchly committed to preserving our proud status as the world's oldest Football League club and, until a new buyer is found, I will continue to support that aim.

"The truth is, my efforts to restore Notts County's fortunes over the last two years mean my other businesses have had to take a back seat. They are now in need of my full attention."

Screenshots of Hardy's gaffe was circulated on social media.

The 54-year-old businessman bought the club in 2017 but has since seen them sink to the foot of the Football League under his stewardship.

Hardy confirmed that he was already in talks with two interested parties regarding the sale of the club.