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Everton ban newspaper The Sun following its publication on Friday of a controversial Kelvin MacKenzie article on Ross Barkley and the city of Liverpool.

Everton have banned The Sun following Kelvin MacKenzie's controversial article on Ross Barkley and Liverpool.

The column, which was featured in Friday's issue of the newspaper, compared Barkley - who has a grandfather born in Nigeria - to a "gorilla".

MacKenzie, a former editor for the tabloid, also wrote that men with similar "pay packets" to Barkley in Liverpool were "drug dealers".

A club statement read: "Yesterday Everton Football Club informed The Sun newspaper it was banned from Goodison Park, the USM Finch Farm training ground and all areas of the club's operation.

"Whilst we will not dignify any journalist with a response to appalling and indefensible allegations, the newspaper has to know that any attack on this City, either against a much respected community or individual, is not acceptable."

Merseyside Police are investigating whether the comments made by MacKenzie - who has since been suspended by the newspaper - constitute a "racial hate crime".

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