Police have arrested a 47-year-old man on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence after Antoine Semenyo said he was abused during Liverpool’s match against Bournemouth yesterday.
The 25-year-old forward reported being insulted by a fan while he was waiting to take a throw in during the Premier League opener last night.
Semenyo told match officials that somebody had shouted a racist insult at him during the 28th minute of the tie, which was brought to a temporary halt.
A man was then identified and removed from Anfield stadium after stewards were informed.
A Merseryside Police spokesperson said: ‘We have arrested a man following reports racist abuse was directed towards Bournemouth player Antoine Semenyo during his team’s Premier League fixture versus Liverpool at Anfield on Friday 15 August.
‘The suspect’s identity was confirmed and he was removed from the ground following the report.
‘A 47-year-old man from Liverpool has today (Saturday 16 August) been arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence. He has been taken into custody to be interviewed.’
Bournemouth player Antoine Semenyo reported being racially abused while he was waiting to take a throw in during the match
Chief Inspector Kev Chatterton, the match commander for the Liverpool vs Bournemouth game, said after the incident: ‘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.’
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.
