The Sunderland fan accused of making a "monkey" gesture towards West Bromwich Albion striker Romelu Lukaku has claimed that he was doing a "chicken dance".
Liam Jones, who has been banned from attending Black Cats games at the Stadium of Light until the outcome of the criminal case against him, was spotted making the gesture during the Baggies' 4-2 win last month.
"People have got it all wrong. I wasn't doing a monkey chant," The Mirror quotes him as saying. "I was doing a chicken dance.
"I'm devastated people think I'm racist. I have black friends and black cousins. If I was racist, I wouldn't pay money to go and watch Sunderland because they have black players.
"I'm absolutely gutted I can't go to matches. I've been going for years. I can see where the club is coming from and I can see how the photo looks, but I want everyone to know that I am not racist."
On Thursday 21-year-old Jones was released on bail until January.
