A 47-year-old man, who was arrested after the Premier League’s season opener on Friday due to alleged racist abuse of Antoine Semenyo, has been banned from attending any regulated soccer match in the United Kingdom.
The incident occurred during Friday’s match between Liverpool and Bournemouth, with broadcast video showing a fan engaging with Bournemouth player Antoine 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.
Local police said Saturday that a man had been arrested following reports racist abuse was directed towards Semenyo.
“He has now been bailed with conditions, which includes not to attend any regulated football match in the UK and not to go within one mile of a designated football stadium,” Merseyside police said in a statement Monday.
The police added that the investigation into the incident “remains ongoing and we continue to work closely with the club.”
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.”
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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.”
In a statement released on Sunday, Kick It Out said: “It has been a depressing start to the season as racist incidents quickly stack up. Although this might appear symptomatic of the current climate right now, clubs have shown this week there is no tolerance for this type of behaviour.
“But that is only made clear when authorities move swiftly and decisively to hold offenders to account. Football must remain firm in standing up to every incident of discrimination this season and be transparent about its collective actions so that everyone can see how effectively this is being tackled.”