English Premier League club Chelsea sanctioned six fans Tuesday for racist behavior during a league match last December.
“Five individuals have been temporarily excluded from attending Stamford Bridge for periods of between one and two years for the use of abusive language and threatening and aggressive behavior,” the club said in a statement on its website. It added that another fan was “permanently excluded from Stamford Bridge.”
British media said fans voiced racist chants against Manchester City’s Jamaican-born English winger Raheem Sterling during league match Dec. 8, 2018.
The 24-year-old star previously played for English football powerhouse Liverpool.
Chelsea said the club sees all racist or discriminatory behaviors disgusting and the London team has “zero tolerance approach to any incidents of racism.”
The racist incident is not the first for Chelsea. In February 2015, Chelsea fans in Paris performed violent and racist acts against a black man in the subway as Chelsea faced Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the UEFA Champions League round of 16.
Before the match, some Chelsea fans did not allow a black man to enter the carriage, pushing him off the train.
“We’re racist, we’re racist, and that’s the way we like it,” the fans chanted. The incident was filmed and went viral online.
In January 2017, a Paris court found four fans guilty of racist behaviors and handed down suspended one-year sentences against each suspect.
British media said the court also ordered them to pay €10,000 in compensation to the victim.
