The Paris prosecutor's office has launched an investigation after a group of fans of English Premier League soccer team Chelsea were caught on video preventing a black man from boarding a Paris Metro train while chanting racist words.
The video, recorded by Metro passenger and British expatriate Paul Nolan, was published by The Guardian on Wednesday showing a group of Chelsea fans harassing and preventing the black passenger from boarding a carriage at the Richelieu-Drouot station, ahead of Chelsea playing Paris St Germain in a Champions League match at the Parc des Princes in Paris late on Tuesday.
The footage shows the group of men blocking the passenger and forcibly pushing him twice back onto the platform as they chanted: "We're racist, we're racist, and that's the way we like it." The relevant video can be found below:
Paris prosecutor's office said it will be cooperating with the British police forces to identify those involved.
The Metropolitan Police in London said in a statement that they "took offences of this nature seriously no matter where they occur".
"We will examine the footage with a view to seeing if we can apply for football banning orders, preventing people from travelling to future matches," the statement read.
They also have appealed for anyone with information to come forward.
London club Chelsea condemned the act in a statement, saying it would ban any members or season-ticket holders who were found to have been involved in the incident.
The president of the the international governing body of association football FIFA, Sepp Blatter, said on Twitter: "I also condemn the actions of a small group of Chelsea fans in Paris. There is no place for racism in football."
The European governing body of the sport UEFA also condemned the act in a statement.
However it added: "As it (the incident) occurred away from the stadium, it is outside UEFA's remit to act.
"It is a matter for the local authorities to investigate further and UEFA supports any action that is taken."
Any fans could receive a term of three-year imprisonment and a 45,000 euros fine if they found guilty of charges of racist conduct.