It was something that shocked the entire footballing world, an incident that should brought shame to all football fans across the globe. The train incident in Paris involved a set of Chelsea fans, who were in France for their side’s Champions League tie against French champions PSG. Further, several major news organizations are now suggesting that seven Chelsea fans have come forward and spoken to the police with regards to an incident which had accused them of alleged racist chanting at St Pancras station in London. The men themselves came forward after the British Transport Police requested public help in identifying the suspects. The incident at St Pancras station took place a day after Chelsea’s Champions League match away at PSG. These men have been identified as the same men who were filmed making racist comments to a black man on the Paris Metro and Yahoo wrote:
[The St Pancras incident] was the day after an incident on the Paris Metro before Chelsea’s match with Paris St Germain when a man was subjected to alleged racist abuse
Yahoo’s report further states that the incident in London may not be related to what happened in Paris, through an update on one of the men involved. 23 year old Blues fan Jamie Fairbairn, has allowed his name to be published through his lawyer, who today released a statement about his client’s involvement in the two racist incidents, in Paris and London. Yahoo reported:
[The St Pancras incident] was the day after an incident on the Paris Metro before Chelsea’s match with Paris St Germain when a man was subjected to alleged racist abuse
John Kaye… said his client had accepted being among those in the carriage of the Metro train in Paris during the incident involving a black man, Souleymane Sylla, on the evening of February 17.
He added that Mr Fairbairn denies preventing Mr Sylla from boarding or using words of a racist or threatening nature, and also denies saying anything of a racist nature during his visit to Paris or later at St Pancras.
He said Mr Fairbairn was not even present during the alleged racist chanting incident at St Pancras.