Investigation starts in Paris over 'racist' Chelsea fans

French state prosecutors began an investigation on Wednesday into "deliberate racial violence on public transport," with London police pledging assistance in examining the confrontation between a black man and self-proclaimed racist Chelsea fans in Paris.

Amateur footage taken by a British man showed the Chelsea fans pushing away the black man trying to board a train at Richelieu Drouout subway station. He than tries to enter once more and says in French "Can I get on or what?" before again being shoved away. The incident occurred before a Champions League match between the English team Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night.

After preventing the man from boarding, the group of Chelsea fans then sings: "We're racist, we're racist, and that's the way we like it."

A black woman, also a passenger, then leaves the subway car.

Support from London

Neither fans nor the victim have yet been identified, prosecutor's office spokeswoman Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre told The Associated Press.

London police said they would support their French colleagues in the investigation and in identifying the suspects.

"We will examine the footage with a view to seeing if we can apply for football banning orders, preventing people from travelling from future matches," New Scotland Yard said in a statement.

No place for racism

The Chelsea club itself said it would also take action if possible.

"Such behavior is abhorrent and has no place in football or society," Chelsea said in a statement. "We will support any criminal action against those involved, and should evidence point to the involvement of Chelsea season ticket holders or members the club will take the strongest possible action against them, including banning orders."

FIFA President Sepp Blatter also condemned the "the actions of a small group of Chelsea fans:"

"There is no place for racism in football!" Blatter tweeted.

'Not true at all'

After the video was published online, a Chelsea supporter, who claimed to have been on the train, denied that the incident had been racially motivated. Mitchell McCoy, aged 17, said the man had only been pushed away because the carriage was full.

"He tried to get on and a few people were pushing him off because there wasn't much space on the carriage. You couldn't move," McCoy told Britain's Press Association.

"People were saying it was because he was black. It's not true at all," he said.

The Tuesday night game between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain ended in a 1-1 draw.

dj/kms (AP, AFP, dpa)