A petition calling for Premier League clubs to ban journalists from The Sun newspaper has attracted more than 8,000 signatures.

On Saturday Everton Football Club followed Liverpool FC's lead and banned journalists from the newspaper after Kelvin MacKenzie's controversial article about Ross Barkley.

MacKenzie has since been suspended from the newspaper after he expressed "wrong" and "unfunny" views about the people of Liverpool, News UK said.

Organisers of the petition FootyBlog.net said: "We're requesting that The Premier League organisation proposes to deny journalists of The Sun newspaper, owned by News UK, access to all 20 Premier League club premises.

"This move follows both Liverpool and Everton FC's decision to deny journalists of The Sun to access their football club and training ground facilities, dating back to both the untruthful allegations printed about the Hillsborough disaster, and more recently due to racist and hateful comments about footballers at Everton FC and people living within the city of Liverpool. "

A statement issued by Everton at the weekend read: "Yesterday Everton Football Club informed The Sun newspaper that it was banned from Goodison Partk, the USM Finch Farm training ground and all areas of the club's operation.

"Whilst we will not dignify any journalist with a response to appalling and indefensible allegations, the newspaper has to know that any attack on this city, either against a much respected community of individual, is not acceptable."

In the article on Friday, MacKenzie compared Barkley, who has a grandfather born in Nigeria, to a "gorilla".

MacKenzie also said that people with similar "pay packets" in Liverpool were "drug dealers".

A statement from News UK on Friday read: "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 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 investigated on his return."

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

Earlier on Thursday the mayor of Liverpool called on Everton football club to ban Sun journalists from press conferences.

.@Everton Your lack of action in banning the S*n from your press conferences is a smack in the face to our City,see below&act now #JFT96 pic.twitter.com/wHFi28RLk5 — Joe Anderson (@mayor_anderson) April 14, 2017

Read more

Read More

Liverpool football club banned reporters from the newspaper from attending matches at Anfield and press conferences at Melwood in February due to its coverage of the Hillsborough disaster.

The Sun were also refused any access to interviews with the players or manager Jurgen Klopp, with the decision understood to have been taken after club directors held talks with the families of those who died in the tragedy in 1989.

Sorry to share the Sun but it is important for people to see just how despicable the publshed Mackenzie article is. pic.twitter.com/5X0l9qlEQl — Joe Anderson (@mayor_anderson) April 14, 2017

On Thursday the mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson called for Everton to show unity with the Reds for the good of the city and follow the Anfield club’s lead.

On Twitter, he wrote: “Everton, your lack of action in banning the S*n from your press conferences is a smack in the face to our city. See below and act now #JFT96”.

He then attached a screen grab from a story written in the paper about midfielder Ross Barkley following his assault in a nightclub in the early hours of Monday morning.

Those comments about Ross Barkley, a young working class lad are disgusting. Then add in the fact he is mixed race! It's becomes outrageous. — Joseph Barton (@Joey7Barton) April 14, 2017

Everybody knows the authors relationship with the city. He simply has to be held accountable for these words. It's an absolute disgrace. — Joseph Barton (@Joey7Barton) April 14, 2017

It's not ok to say, 'He's a footballer who earns loads of money, so he should deal with it.' What's implied in that piece, is just wrong. — Joseph Barton (@Joey7Barton) April 14, 2017