The S*n in hot water again over Ross Barkley Article

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In an article published on Friday, MacKenzie compared Everton midfielder Ross Barkley, who has a grandfather born in Nigeria, to a "gorilla".

He said men with similar "pay packets" in Liverpool were "drug dealers".




Merseyside Police are investigating whether his comments constitute a "racial hate crime".

The Sun apologised "for the offence caused" and added that it was "unaware of Barkley's heritage".

In a statement of his own, MacKenzie reiterated the latter sentiment, adding that it was "beyond parody" to describe the column as "racist".

In the article, which has since been taken off the newspaper's website, former editor MacKenzie said:
?Barkley is "one of our dimmest footballers", also calling him "thick".
?His eyes make him "certain not only are the lights not on, there is definitely nobody at home", adding: "I get a similar feeling when seeing a gorilla at the zoo."
?Men with similar "pay packets" in Liverpool are "drug dealers" and in prison.

Alongside the article, The Sun published adjoining pictures of Barkley and a gorilla on their website with the caption "Could Everton's Ross Barkley represent the missing link between man and beast?" The picture was later removed.

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Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson said he had reported the article to the police for a "racial slur".

Speaking to BBC Sport, Anderson said: "Not only is it racist in a sense that he is of mixed-race descent, equally it's a racial stereotype of Liverpool. It is racist and prehistoric."

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MacKenzie was editor of The Sun when it published a front-page article headlined 'Hillsborough: The Truth' in the aftermath of the 1989 disaster at Sheffield Wednesday's football stadium.

The article claimed Liverpool fans were to blame for the tragedy, in which 96 people died. MacKenzie apologised in 2012

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