A 47-year-old man has been arrested after the Premier League’s season opener on Friday was briefly halted due to alleged racist abuse, local police announced Saturday.
“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 Merseyside Police said in Saturday’s statement.
“The suspect’s identity was confirmed and he was removed from the ground following the report.”
In the 26th minute of the match, broadcast video showed a fan engaging with Semenyo while the forward went to retrieve a ball for an impending throw-in. The fan can be seen shouting and pointing at the winger just before the Ghanaian restarted play.
A short time later, play was temporarily suspended as both sides’ managers and some players gathered with the match referee, Anthony Taylor, in the technical area to apparently discuss the incident between the fan and the player.
On Saturday, Semenyo posted a statement to X, formerly known as Twitter, saying that the night will “stay with me forever – not because of one person’s words, but because of how the entire football family stood together.”
The 25-year-old winger thanked both his Bournemouth teammates and Liverpool’s players, as well as the match officials for reacting in the way they did. He went on to score both of Bournemouth’s goals, though the Cherries ultimately still succumbed to a 4-2 defeat.
“Scoring those two goals felt like speaking the only language that truly matters on the pitch,” Semenyo added. “This is why I play – for moments like these, for my teammates, for everyone who believes in what this beautiful game can be.”
“The overwhelming messages of support from across the football world remind me why I love this sport. We keep moving forward, together.”
The English FA also released a statement following the incident, stating the organization was “concerned” about the alleged “discrimination from an area of the crowd” and pledged to work with authorities, both clubs and match officials to “establish the facts and ensure the appropriate action is taken.”
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