by Mark Bassey

On Friday, Chelsea issued a statement apologizing to the man, who was racially abused by the club’s fans on the Paris Metro on Tuesday night.

A statement on the club website said: “If it is deemed there is sufficient evidence of their involvement in the incident, the club will issue banning orders for life.”

Before manager Jose Mourinho’s press conference began his press conference today, a club spokesman addressed the media.

“I’d like to make clear, on behalf of everyone at the club, our disgust at the incident. We were appalled by what we saw,” he said.

“The club would also like to apologise unreservedly to Souleymane for the behaviour of a small number of individuals and their unforgivable action towards him. We’re writing to him to apologise and to invite him to come to a game as our guest.”

It does reek a bit of hypocrisy. When John Terry was accused of using racist language on Anton Ferdinand, the club denied that their captain was guilty. Maybe because there was no video evidence. Maybe because social media did not shut down over the incident.

In the coming days, we need to see the Stamford Bridge outfit take drastic measures to curb this trend – according to stats, they are the Premier League side with the most racist incidents.

Or else, this self-serving display, will count for nothing.

ifreke

Ifreke Inyang is a public commentator and social media critic who has worked with a number of high profile publications across the country.