Police Investigating Racist and Abusive Behaviour by Alleged Chelsea Fans

Four alleged Chelsea supporters were kicked off a train from London to Manchester on Sunday following reported claims of racist and abusive behaviour.

As reported by Sky News, the police are now investigating the incident:

According to Mike Keegan of the Mail Online, the foursome were ejected from the 10:30 p.m. service after the Blues’ League Cup triumph over Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley. The piece claims that transport police evicted the men at Stoke station following complaints from some other passengers on board.

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Keegan elaborated on the incident in his piece, citing an unnamed source who was on board:

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One witness told Sportsmail: “It was horrendous. They were Chelsea fans and they were being nasty and offensive. One passenger, a black man, moved carriages because he was disgusted with them.

“One girl was crying. The police got on and marched them off the train.”

Another witness said the fans were asking two young Asian girls where their burkas were and singing songs about Spurs and Auschwitz.

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The British Transport Police released the following statement in the wake of the incident, per Keegan's piece:

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Shortly after 10.30pm on Sunday, 1 March, officers were called to meet a Euston-to-Manchester Piccadilly train at Stoke, following reports of racist and abusive behaviour by a number of passengers, said to be football fans.

Colleagues from Staffordshire Police also attended. Officers asked four men to leave the train at Stoke. We have spoken to two witnesses, and investigations continue.

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The alleged altercation comes just days after footage emerged of Chelsea supporters in Paris preventing a black man from boarding a metro carriage. The video also showed Blues fans on the service taking part in a racist chant.

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Chelsea have come down hard on potential offenders from the Paris video, suspending five fans and threatening lifetime bans to those subsequently proven to be involved, per Keegan’s piece.

Iconic figures connected with the club have also had their say on the issue in the wake of recent revelations. Manager Jose Mourinho claimed that those who indulged in the aforementioned behaviour in France make him feel "ashamed" and are not representative of the majority of the club's demographic, per BBC Sport.

Club captain John Terry—who bagged the opening goal in the 2-0 win over Spurs—has also spoken out, claiming the footage captured in Paris is "unacceptable," per Ben Findon of The Telegraph.