Lord Sugar has defended a post he made about the Senegal football team as "funny" and that it had been interpreted "in the wrong way as offensive by a few people", before deleting it.

The Apprentice boss tweeted a picture of the team, edited to include handbags and sunglasses laid out on sheets.

Lord Sugar wrote: "I recognise some of these guys from the beach in Marbella. Multi tasking resourceful chaps."

After responding to a few people who criticised his post, Lord Sugar removed it.

He tweeted: "Just been reading the reaction to my funny tweet about the guy on the beach in Marbella. Seems it has been interpreted in the wrong way as offensive by a few people. Frankly I cant see that I think it's funny. But I will pull it down if you insist ."

He had also tweeted, to a follower who asked when he would apologise: "I cant see what I have to apologise for .... you are OTT ... its a bloody joke."

Lord Sugar later apologised for the tweet and removed all of his tweets in which he defended the post.

He wrote on Twitter: "I misjudged me earlier tweet. It was in no way intended to cause offence, and clearly my attempt at humour has backfired. I have deleted the tweet and am very sorry."