A columnist for the UK edition of The Sun has been suspended from the newspaper after he expressed "wrong" and "unfunny" views about the people of Liverpool, the newspaper group News UK has said.
It comes after Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson reported an article by Kelvin MacKenzie to police.
Mr Anderson claimed the article in question contained "a racial slur" about Everton footballer Ross Barkley, who was punched in a Liverpool city centre bar in the early hours of Monday.
A News UK spokesman said: "The Sun's columnist Kelvin MacKenzie has been suspended from the paper with immediate effect.
"The views expressed by Kelvin Mackenzie about the people of Liverpool were wrong, unfunny and are not the view of the paper.
"The Sun apologises for the offence caused.
"The paper was unaware of Ross Barkley's heritage and there was never any slur intended.
"Mr Mackenzie is currently on holiday and the matter will be fully investigated on his return."
Mr Barkley, 23, has a Nigerian grandfather, which Mr MacKenzie claimed he did not know about.
Mr MacKenzie told the Press Association: "I had no idea of Ross Barkley's family background and nor did anybody else.
"For the mayor of Liverpool and a handful of others to describe the article as racist is beyond parody."
However. Mr Anderson, who said he had given a statement to Merseyside Police, dismissed Mr MacKenzie's defence of his column.
The Independent Press Standards Organisation, the British press watchdog, said it would know the number of any complaints by Tuesday after the long weekend.
