Football - the ugly side of the beautiful game

Football. The beautiful game is often marred with the toxic stench of racism, the rise of which is evident in the extent to which we see resurgent racial attacks in the game across the world.

Just this morning, news reports revealed the punishment for four Chelsea fans accused of refusing to allow a black man on to the Paris Metro – each has been banned from attending football matches for up to five years.

Whilst I am pleased at the verdict, I believe they should have been banned for life. Their disgusting actions, compounded by their denials and brazen attempts in court to suggest that the victim, Frenchman Souleymane Sylla, was the aggressor, deserved more punishment in my view.

The Chelsea fans were in the French capital to watch the west London club's Champions League match against Paris St-Germain on 17 February.

Three of the four accused fans - Richard Barklie, a former policeman from Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland, Joshua Parsons, a 20-year-old from Dorking, Surrey, and William Simpson, a 26-year-old from Ashford, Surrey - were each given the maximum sentence allowed and banned from football matches for five years. The fourth accused fan, Jordan Munday, a 20-year-old from Sidcup, south-east London, was banned for three years.

What's interesting about these men is that they're not the usual EDL/BNP types.

Mr. Barklie is currently a director with the World Human Rights Forum. He admitted twice to pushing Mr. Sylla, but blamed the Parisian for using "aggression" and shouting when trying to board the metro. Mr. Parsons worked in a in a top Mayfair financial services firm.

The background of these men illustrates the extent to which racism pervades present-day British society. No longer confined to the white working class, even those considered to be professionals and liberals, such as Barklie and Parsons, can be infected.

Condemning the intolerable actions from the Chelsea fans, District Judge Gareth Branston said, "Racist hatred was displayed by Chelsea fans on the Paris Metro that evening."

If we are to curb this resurgent racism we need to take harsh and swift action against such disciple violence. Chelsea FC should pay compensation to Mr Souleymane Sylla, and then ban these middle class racists for life.

Lee Jasper