LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — A man arrested on suspicion of racially abusing Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo during a Premier League game has been released on conditional bail, police said Monday.
Merseyside Police said the 47-year-man from Liverpool cannot attend a soccer match in Britain or go within one mile (1.6 kilometers) of a soccer stadium in Britain while on bail.
The man was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offense after Semenyo, who is Black, reported to the referee that he was racially abused by a spectator in the first half of Bournemouth’s match against Liverpool at Anfield on Friday. The man was removed from the stadium soon after the alleged incident, which led to a brief stoppage in play.
An investigation “remains ongoing and we continue to work closely with the club,” Merseyside Police said.
On Saturday, Semenyo, a 25-year-old Ghana international, thanked his Bournemouth teammates, Liverpool’s players and the soccer community as a whole for the “overwhelming messages of support” he received after reporting that he was racially abused.
Semenyo played the whole game and scored twice after the alleged incident in Bournemouth’s 4-2 loss to Liverpool.
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