Anti-racism groups suggest welcome committee for Chelsea fans arriving in Paris
When Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain clashed in the knockout phase of the 2014-15 Champions League, the tie was marred by racism. The Guardian published a video in which a black man, later identified as sales manager Souleymane Sylla, was prevented from boarding a Paris Metro train by Blues supporters, and then subjected to racist chants.
Related - VIDEO: Chelsea supporters keep black man from boarding Paris Metro, follow with racist chant
Just under one year later, French anti-racism groups are taking steps to ensure there's no repeat of the disturbing scene.
As Angelique Chrisafis of the Guardian writes, SOS Racisme and Sportitude, two anti-racism groups based in Paris, have proposed that a welcome committee be put in place for the first leg of the Champions League tie between Chelsea and PSG. The two clubs were, coincidentally, drawn alongside each other in the competition's Round of 16 for a second consecutive year, and there are inevitably fears of racism once again marring the encounter.
"As this match approaches, the images of what happened on the Paris Metro will be shown again and that could create a climate of tension that risks stigmatising English supporters," Hermann Ebongue, a vice president of SOS Racisme, told the Guardian.
"The best way for us to tackle this is not to simply place lots more police in Paris but to make a gesture to remind people that football is about shared values. We want to show that that racism, violence, antisemitism don’t have any place in football. We also want to avoid English supporters being stigmatised. It’s important that the minority behind the Metro incident do not tarnish all the other supporters who had nothing to do with it. We also need to be sure that no scenes like this will be seen again."
SOS Racisme and Sportitude are suggesting the welcome committee be put in place at the Eurostar's Paris Gare du Nord station under the banner "Let's Share the Game," and are recommending a publicity campaign be staged on the Paris Metro lines leading to the Parc des Princes.
On Tuesday, Sylla accepted an invitation to attend the first leg of the tie at the Parc des Princes, as his lawyer, Jim Michel-Gabriel, told the Press Association: "He has decided to go to the match as life must carry on."
Related: Man racially abused by fans accepts invitation to attend PSG match vs. Chelsea
Chelsea invited Sylla to attend the return leg of last year's tie in the immediate aftermath of the racial abuse, but he ultimately declined the invitation, saying: "They can't buy me with a little piece." He still goes to the doctor once a week because he thinks about what happened and only started using the Paris Metro one week ago.
Five Chelsea supporters were given lifetime bans from the club following the incident, and the club is reportedly believed to be considering SOS Racisme and Sportitude's proposals.