Chelsea FC have suspended four of their fans who allegedly hurled racist abuse at and have confirmed they are assisting the police in their investigation.
The club have trawled through CCTV images from inside Stamford Bridge, as well as TV footage, to identify a supporter who appeared to call Sterling a ‘f***ing black c***’ in the first half of Saturday’s Premier League clash between Chelsea and Manchester City.
Chelsea have passed on the fan’s details to the police, and have now confirmed that three more supporters have also been suspended.
A club statement read:
‘Chelsea Football Club has suspended four people from attending Chelsea matches pending further investigations into allegations regarding the behaviour of supporters towards Raheem Sterling during our match against Manchester City on Saturday. ‘Our investigations into this matter are ongoing. We are fully supporting the police investigation and any information we gather will be passed on to them.
‘Chelsea Football Club finds all forms of discriminatory behaviour abhorrent and if there is evidence of ticket holders taking part in any racist behaviour, the club will issue severe sanctions, including bans. We will also fully support any criminal prosecutions.’
Sterling opened up about the incident on social media, as well as hitting out at what he claimed was racist treatment from the media in the way young black players are depicted.
