Racist Chelsea supporters in Paris are 'not fans of football'

  • Published
Media caption,

Video footage from The Guardian appears to show Chelsea fans chanting abuse

The Chelsea supporters who prevented a black man from boarding a Paris train are "not fans of football", says QPR manager Chris Ramsey.

British police are to examine footage of the incident, in which the group appears to chant "we're racist, we're racist and that's the way we like it".

Ramsey, the only black manager in the Premier League, said: "I don't believe these people are fans of football.

"I'm interested to see what the authorities do to eradicate this."

Media caption,

Paul Nolan told Radio 4's Today programme it was a "threatening" scene

The incident took place on the Paris Metro prior to Chelsea's 1-1 draw with PSG on Tuesday night and was filmed by British expatriate Paul Nolan.

The footage was later obtained by the Guardian,, external which reported that the event occurred at Richelieu-Drouot station.

Chelsea have said they will ban any fans implicated, while the victim in the incident, named by French newspaper Le Parisien as French-Mauritian Souleymane S, wants them to be "locked up".

Ramsey said: "Football as a whole needs to deal with these racists - and people outside of football as well. It's a crime."

The 52-year-old, who was confirmed as manager of QPR last week, added: "They are acting in a manner we all think is a thing of the past.

"I wouldn't be blaming Chelsea Football Club for that. If you have people with those views they are intrinsic in every day life.

Media caption,

Football racism a social issue - Ramsey

"As much as it is something that has happened in football, these are really social issues that manifest themselves in the real world."

The former Swindon Town, Brighton and Southend defender continued: "I've experienced a lot of racism in my time in the game. I started in 1978 so take from that what you may.

"Racism is not something that gets eradicated, it gets shuffled about and hidden in places you wouldn't believe.

"It would be good to know what the authorities are going to do to weed these people out and what sanctions they will enforce to make this an avoidable situation in the future."

The Metropolitan Police in London have appealed for anyone with information regarding the incident in Paris to come forward.

Around the BBC

Related internet links

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.