Wayne Rooney (L) has vehemently condemned racial abuse against Semenyo (R)
Legendary English footballer, Wayne Rooney has called for severe punishments for teams whose supporters are found culpable of racial abuse amid Antoine Semenyo’s issue.
According to him, one way to curb the menace in football is by deducting points from teams whose supporters engage in racism during games.
The former Manchester United striker also suggested that imposing huge fines on teams is another effective measure to curtail the issue damaging the sport’s reputation.
Identity of Liverpool fan who racially abused Semenyo revealed
“There needs to be a strong campaign for society – for children, parents, and grandparents – to be educated. You have to hit the clubs because that’s the only way it will stop. If there’s ignorance, the fans will still do it.
“You have to hit the clubs by taking off points or hit them in the pocket and take money away from them. Otherwise, it will keep on going. Hopefully, the right people will sit down with the right organizations to try and get something serious in place,” the ex-player said while speaking about Semenyo’s racial abuse on the BBC podcast, ‘The Wayne Rooney Show.’
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The BBC sport pundit recounted an encounter with a player who received racial abuse, saying, “I had it in DC with one of my players who got racially abused, and he was crying on my chest. I was holding him as he was crying. I don’t think people realize – they say it as a throwaway line that they think has no meaning behind it, but it hurts people. For people to see that and understand, there needs to be more done to stop it.”
About Semenyo’s racial abuse
Semenyo was racially abused by a fan during the Premier League opener at Anfield on Friday, August 15, 2025.
The incident occurred in the 29th minute of the Liverpool–Bournemouth clash when Semenyo alerted the referee to the abuse. Play was halted for four minutes as officials dealt with the situation, and the fan was identified and escorted out of the stadium.
Merseyside Police confirmed that the suspect was arrested the following day on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offense.
The suspect, reportedly known as Mark Mogan was later bailed and banned from all UK stadiums.
SB/JE
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