Soccer

Chelsea hands out lifetime bans to five involved in Paris race row

Ex-RUC and PSNI officer from Carrickfergus ‘proved to be a menace’ during incident on Metro

Chelsea supporter Richard Barklie, 50, who has been banned from football matches for five years for racially abusing and shoving a black commuter off a Paris Metro train. Chelsea later banned him and four others for life for their part in the incident. Photograph: Chris Radburn/PA
Chelsea supporter Richard Barklie, 50, who has been banned from football matches for five years for racially abusing and shoving a black commuter off a Paris Metro train. Chelsea later banned him and four others for life for their part in the incident. Photograph: Chris Radburn/PA
Wed Jul 22 2015 - 18:51

A former policeman and human rights activist has been banned from football matches for five years for racially abusing and shoving a black commuter off a Paris Metro train.

Video showed Frenchman Souleymane Sylla repeatedly pushed off the carriage amid chants of “we’re racist, we’re racist, and that’s the way we like it”.

Chelsea fan Richard Barklie, 50, a director with the World Human Rights Forum, admitted twice pushing Mr Sylla — but blamed the Parisian for using "aggression" and shouting as he tried to board.

But on Wednesday district judge Gareth Branston said Barklie joined in the racist chanting of "John Terry is a racist and that's the way we like it".

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And he said the ex-Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officer, from Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland, “proved to be a menace” and had “demonstrated aggressive, disorderly conduct”. Three other Chelsea fans have also been issued football banning orders for their role in the race incident.

Violence flared as Chelsea fans were in the French capital to watch the west London club's Champions League match against Paris St Germain on February 17th.

Former finance worker Josh Parsons, 20, from Dorking, Surrey, was banned for five years.

The judge said that, along with Barklie, Parsons played a leading role in the racist abuse and pushing Mr Sylla off and “sang the chant glorifying racism”.

He said Parsons displayed “aggressive and disorderly conduct as part of a pack of Chelsea fans”.

Parsons, who used to work for a finance company in Mayfair, had also leaned out of the train shouted “where were you in World War Two?” and “F*** the IRA”. Jordan Munday, of Sidcup south-east London, who allegedly joined in the racist chanting, was banned for three years.

He had earlier “fronted up” a man who was walking through Paris, pushing him twice before being told to calm down by police, the court heard. While William Simpson, of Ashford, Surrey, who also played a part in pushing Mr Sylla off the train, was banned for five years.