Chelsea issues lifetime bans to 5 fans responsible for racist incident on Paris Metro

The Chelsea supporters responsible for the abhorrent scenes that saw a black man forcibly prevented from boarding a train in Paris ahead of a Champions League match in February have finally been punished.

The club announced Wednesday that it has issued lifetime bans to five individuals involved in the incident, which took place at the Richelieu-Drouot station in Paris as swarms of people were en route to the Parc des Princes for a match between the Blues and Paris Saint-Germain.

The despicable scene in question was captured on video, and saw the men celebrate their racial abuse after the fact by chanting: "We're racist, we're racist and that's the way we like it."

Chelsea released the following statement on the matter:

The club will always reserve the right to decide who purchases tickets to attend Chelsea matches, and the behaviour of these five individuals was abhorrent, against all of the club’s values and falls way below the standards the club expects of supporters attending our games.

Therefore the club's bans permanently prohibit any of these individuals from attending Stamford Bridge or purchasing tickets from the club for any future matches.

The club will continue to take action against any supporters we feel behave in an anti-social manner and will cooperate with the relevant police authorities with any future investigations.

The statement continued:

Chelsea FC is proud of its diversity, which runs throughout the club – from our owner to our multi-cultural playing squad and backroom team, the staff and our fans.

We are also proud to support the work of Kick it Out and Show Racism the Red Card, among other organisations, as well as the work of the Premier League, UEFA and the Football Association.

The club’s commitment to eradicating discrimination in all its forms is highlighted by our Building Bridges campaign, which promotes equality in our communities.

The club's ban comes shortly after the Stratford Magistrates' Court ruled that three of the men – Richard Barklie, Joshua Parsons, and William Simpson – have been banned from attending any football matches, at home or abroad, for five years.

A fourth individual, Jordan Munday, was handed a three-year ban. Dean Callis is the fifth individual issued a lifetime ban by the club.