Action taken after controversial comments
Kelvin Mackenzie will leave his post at The Sun after a controversial column about Everton midfielder Ross Barkley caused outrage.
He was suspended last month for comparing Barkley, who has a Nigerian Grandfather, to a Gorilla.
He also called branded the midfielder ‘one of England’s dimmest footballers’, before going on to brand any resident of Liverpool with a strong bank account a drug dealer.
The BBC’s media editor Amol Rajan said: “Now we know he will not be asked to contribute to the paper again”.
A spokesman for The Sun said Mr Mackenzie “remained suspended” but would not comment on his departure.
In his column, Mr MacKenzie said looking at Mr Barkley’s eyes had given him a “similar feeling when seeing a gorilla at the zoo”.
His eyes made him “certain not only are the lights not on, there is definitely nobody at home”, he wrote.
Alongside the article was an image of a gorilla next to a picture of the midfielder.
MacKenzie of course already has a toxic relationship with the city of Liverpool, having been editor of the newspaper when they published their infamous ‘THE TRUTH’ front page following the events of the Hillsborough disaster.
Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson had called for Mr Mackenzie to be sacked over the column, describing it as a “racial slur” and a “disgrace”.
Mr Barkley’s lawyers also made a formal complaint about the piece.
At the time, Mr Mackenzie said he was unaware Barkley had a Nigerian-born grandfather and denied the column was “racist”.
By Ben Kelly – @benkelly_10
