Chelsea fan involved in Paris metro incident denies being racist

By Danielle Joynson, Staff Reporter | 23 February 2015

A former police office from Northern Ireland denies being racist after he is identified as one of the Chelsea supporters involved in last week's Paris metro incident.

A Chelsea supporter who has been identified as one of the fans involved in last week's Paris metro incident has denied being racist.

Richard Barklie, who is a former police officer from Northern Ireland, is one of three men who have been identified by the Metropolitan Police following allegations of racist behaviour.

Last Tuesday, a group of Chelsea fans were caught on video shoving a black man, who was later named as Souleymane S, off a train and chanting, "we're racist, we're racist and that's the way we like it".

In a statement, released by solicitor Kevin Winters, Mr Barklie, who now works within human rights, has denied singing the chants mentioned and wants to put on record his "sincerest apologies for the trauma and stress suffered" by Souleymane S.

The statement added: "As someone who has spent years working with disadvantaged communities in Africa and India, he can point to a CV in human rights work which undermines any suggestion he is racist.

"Mr Barklie is a Chelsea season-ticket holder and has travelled to matches for over 20 years now without incident. He travelled alone to the Paris Saint-Germain match and has no knowledge whatsoever of the identities of the other people depicted in recent YouTube video releases. He wants to stress that he was not and never has been part of any group or faction of Chelsea supporters.

"He did not participate in racist chanting and singing and condemns any behaviour supporting that. He accepts he was involved in an incident when a person now known to him as Souleymane S was unable to enter a part of the train."

No arrests have been made.