Football news - Chelsea fan apologises, denies racially abusing Raheem Sterling
ByReuters
Published 11/12/2018 at 09:12 GMT
The Chelsea fan at the centre of the Raheem Sterling race storm has broken his silence, denying he racially abused the England star.
Manchester City's English midfielder Raheem Sterling reacts
Image credit: Getty Images
Chelsea said on Monday they had banned four supporters from matches pending an investigation into the alleged racial abuse of Manchester City forward Sterling.
However, Colin Wing, 60, spoke to the Daily Mail, denying he had racially abused Sterling but admitting that he regretted the incident.
"I’m deeply ashamed by my own behaviour and I feel really bad.
"But I didn’t call him a black ****, I called him a Manc c***."
"I was completely out of order, but I’ve lost my job and my season ticket now so everybody’s got what they wanted. So why can’t they leave me alone?"
Chelsea said they were "fully supporting" a police investigation launched after a video posted online showed Sterling being shouted at by a fan as he went to collect the ball from behind the goal.
Asked about the remarks the fan made, Sterling told journalists on Sunday he "had to laugh" because he expected no better, adding that newspapers were "unacceptable" in their portrayal of young black players.
The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) said harsh treatment that Sterling was receiving from the media was fuelling racism on the terraces, reports of which had increased from last season.
"We commend Raheem for his professionalism during the incident," the PFA - the trade union for players in England - said in a statement.
We stand with him in calling for the press to consider the coverage of all footballers carefully, and to end their imbalanced coverage aimed at young, black players.
"We have been aware for a few months of the targeting Raheem faces in the press, it is evident that he is often singled out and treated more harshly than his colleagues."
No arrests were made after Saturday's match but the Metropolitan Police said they would review footage to determine whether any racist abuse took place.
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