Chelsea racism row: Ex-policeman sought over Paris incident 'apologises for his involvement'

A former policeman who is one of three men sought in connection with an alleged racist incident involving Chelsea football fans on a Paris Metro train has apologised for his involvement.

But Richard Barklie, 50, insisted he is not a racist. The ex-Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officer, from Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland, is currently a director with a human rights organisation, the World Human Rights Forum and has also worked supporting victims of the Troubles.

The Chelsea season ticket holder is one of the three men whose images were released by Scotland Yard as part of an investigation into a group of supporters who allegedly pushed a black man off the train and chanted a racist song in the French capital on Tuesday.

The incident happened ahead of Chelsea's Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain, which ended 1-1.

He said he had an account he wanted to provide to police that would explain the "context and circumstances".

Mr Barklie denied singing any racist songs; said he travelled to the game alone; insisted he did not know any of the other individuals captured on video footage of the incident; and said he has never been part of any "group or faction" of Chelsea fans.

The statement was issued by Belfast solicitor Kevin Winters. "We act on behalf of Mr Barklie identified as one of the people sought by authorities investigating an incident on the Paris Metro on 16/2/15 ," it said.

"We contacted London Metropolitan Police today to advise that our client is happy to assist with inquiries. Pending formal engagement with police, our client is anxious to put on record his total abhorrence for racism and any activity associated with it."

"As someone who has spent years working with disadvantaged communities in Africa and India he can point to a CV in human rights work which undermines any suggestion he is racist," the statement continues.

"In the meantime pending that, he wants to put on record his sincerest apologies for the trauma and stress suffered by Mr Souleymane," the statement also read.

"He readily acknowledges that any judgement on the integrity of his apology will be kept in abeyance pending the outworkings of the investigation."

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