Man, 47, Arrested For Alleged Racist Abuse Of Semenyo

Match referee Anthony Taylor stopped play in the 29th minute during the first Premier League fixture of the season, and a 47-year-old man was ejected from the stadium

A man has been arrested after Bournemouth footballer, Antoine Semenyo, reported being racially abused during his team’s match against Liverpool on Friday night (August 15).

A 47-year-old man from Liverpool has been arrested following the match at Anfield.

Merseyside Police say the man was arrested on Saturday on suspicion of a racially-aggravated public order offence.

The man has been taken into custody to be interviewed, the force confirmed.

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Bournemouth’s forward Antoine Semenyo reported being racially abused by a spectator.

Match referee Anthony Taylor stopped play in the 29th minute during the first Premier League fixture of the season, and a 47-year-old man was ejected from the stadium.

Semenyo spoke with managers Arne Slot and Andoni Iraola before the two captains Virgil van Dijk and Adam Smith were called over to the dug-outs.

An anti-discrimination message was read out to the Anfield crowd, and it is understood that police officers went into the referee’s room at half-time.

Ahead of the arrest, Chief Inspector Kev Chatterton, the match commander for the Liverpool v Bournemouth game, said: “Merseyside Police will not tolerate hate crime of any form.

“We take incidents like this very seriously, and in cases like this we will be proactively seeking football banning orders, with the club, against those responsible.”

He added: “There is no place for racism and it is vital that anyone who witnesses such an offence reports it to stewards, or the police immediately, so we can take the necessary action like we did this evening.

“As with all matches, we work very closely with both Liverpool and Everton FC to ensure the safety of the public, and the players.”

A spokesperson for Liverpool Football Club, said: “Liverpool Football Club is aware of an allegation of racist abuse made during our Premier League game against Bournemouth.

“We condemn racism and discrimination in all forms, it has no place in society, or football.

“The club is unable to comment further as tonight’s alleged is incident is the subject of an ongoing police investigation, which we will support fully.”

After the incident, Semenyo scored twice in the second half to help bring Bournemouth back from two goals down at Anfield before Liverpool went on to eventually win the contest 4-2.

Smith told Sky Sports News afterwards: “It shouldn’t be happening. I don’t know how Ant’s played on to be honest and come up with those goals. It’s totally unacceptable.

“Something needs to be done. Taking the knee isn’t having an effect. We’re supporting him and hopefully he’ll be OK.

“I wanted him to react because that’s what I would have done, but this shows what type of man he is…to come up with those goals showed the type of guy he is.

“To be fair the Liverpool players were very supportive as well towards Antoine and the rest of the team. It was handled in the right way but…so angry.

“I don’t know what else we can do. No one’s getting it. I don’t know what to say anymore. I just feel for Ant … shocking.”

The Premier League said in a statement last night, prior to the arrest: “Tonight’s match between Liverpool Football Club and AFC Bournemouth was temporarily paused during the first half after a report of discriminatory abuse from the crowd, directed at Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo.

“This is in line with the Premier League’s on-field anti-discrimination protocol.

“The incident at Anfield will now be fully investigated. We offer our full support to the player and both clubs.

“Racism has no place in our game, or anywhere in society. We will continue to work with stakeholders and authorities to ensure our stadiums are an inclusive and welcoming environment for all.”

The incident comes two days after Tottenham Hotspur player Mathys Tel received racist abuse online after missing a penalty in his side’s UEFA Super Cup win against Paris St Germain.

The Football Association said it was “concerned” about the allegation of racism towards Semenyo and that it would ensure “appropriate action” would be taken.

It said in a statement: “We are very concerned about the allegation of discrimination from an area of the crowd, which was reported to the match officials during the Premier League fixture between Liverpool and Bournemouth.

“Incidents of this nature have no place in our game and we will work closely with the match officials, the clubs and the relevant authorities to establish the facts and ensure the appropriate action is taken.”

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