Two years later, 4 Chelsea fans are finally convicted of racist violence in Paris metro station

Wednesday, 4 January 2017

Four Chelsea fans, Joshua Parsons, 22; James Fairbairn, 25; Richard Barklie, 52, and William Simpson, 27, who in February 2015 after a Champions league game between PSG and Chelsea denied a Parisian man, Souleymane Sylla  entrance onto the train due to the colour of his skin have been convicted of racial abuse in a Paris court, handed one-year suspended prison sentences and ordered to pay Souleymane Sylla a compensation of 10,000 euros.

 The incident in February 2015 was filmed by a British man, Paul Nolan, and the footage  sparked an outcry over racism in sport after the video went viral.

Only two of the accused attended the trial in Paris while the other two were tried In their absence. The four Chelsea fans have already been banned from attending Chelsea's games.

After the court judgement, Sylla, who had been trying to get home on the Métro when he was repeatedly pushed out of the train by Chelsea fans shouting racist chants, said to Guardian UK;

“I am glad to see justice done.” He said he had not been afraid to face the convicted men in court. “I have been waiting for justice for two years.”

 But one of the convicted Chelsea fans, Joshua Parsons, 22, from Dorking, Surrey, denied being racist

“I’m very sorry for Mr Sylla but I wasn’t racist in any way.”

Parsons said that after he pushed Sylla the first time, he chanted “Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea,” and after he pushed him a second time, he chanted “Fuck the IRA”. He said the chant

 “We’re racist, we’re racist and that’s the way we like it” was shouted in another carriage; he did not sing it and he “did not like that chant”.