‘I want to apologise unreservedly to Raheem and hope he’s a better man than I am by accepting it’
A FAN pictured shouting abuse at Raheem Sterling during Chelsea’s match with Manchester City yesterday denied using a racial slur at the England star.
Father-of-two Colin Wing admitted swearing at the striker at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
But the 60-year-old claimed he had not used racist language.
Mr Wing, from Beckenham, south London, said: “I’m deeply ashamed by my own behaviour and I feel really bad.
“I want to apologise unreservedly to Raheem and hope he can be a better man than I am by accepting it.”
Chelsea have suspended Mr Wing and three other men from attending matches after they were caught on camera screaming at Sterling.
Police are believed to have spoken to the men twice since the incident.
Sterling, who turned 24 on Saturday, is understood to have told police he heard racist language. Chelsea are using lip readers to find out which words were used.
Ashamed
Mr Wing, said to be a former BT manager, claims he has been sacked after being named, adding: “I’ve been going to Chelsea for 50 years now and, because of where I sit, I’m picked up on the camera most weeks. If I had a history of saying this sort of thing I would’ve been caught by now.”
His next-door neighbour John Colston-Lynch, who is black, said: “It’s a bit of a shock. We’ve been neighbours for two years and he has been a nice neighbour. He has shown no signs of being a racist, or anything like that.”
Mr Colston-Lynch, 49, claimed the reaction to his neighbour’s foulmouthed outburst has been “blown out of proportion”.
Mr Wing is believed to have gone into hiding with his 55-year-old wife on Monday night. A neighbour said: “I can’t believe Colin behaves like that at a match.
“He disappeared pretty sharpish yesterday and we haven’t seen him since. He seems like a normal guy but what he said – regardless of if it was about his race or his team – was disgusting. He should be ashamed.”
City manager Pep Guardiola hailed Sterling as an “incredible person” for standing up to racism.
“In the 21st century it’s tough to understand today what happened years ago for black people. You have to protect how equal we are together and help us to be better. Racism is everywhere, it’s not just in football. We have to fight to make a better future for everyone, not just in England but everywhere.”
A Met Police spokesman said: “We are aware of a video circulating online in which it is claimed racial abuse was allegedly directed at a player. We continue to review the footage and CCTV to determine whether any offences have been committed.”
A Chelsea spokesman said: “If there is evidence of ticket holders taking part in any racist behaviour, the club will issue severe sanctions, including bans.”