LONDON, 16 (dpa/EP)
British police have launched an investigation after a man was ejected from Anfield stadium on Friday following allegations of racially abusing Bournemouth player Antoine Semenyo during the Premier League season opener against Liverpool.
Visiting striker Semenyo reported being racially abused by a spectator, and match referee Anthony Taylor stopped play in the 29th minute. He spoke with the two team coaches, Arne Slot and Andoni Iraola, before the two captains, Virgil van Dijk and Adam Smith, were called to the bench.
An anti-discrimination message was read out at Anfield, and police officers entered the referees' room at halftime. Merseyside Police reported that a 47-year-old man was escorted from the stadium and that his identity is being investigated.
Detective Chief Inspector Kev Chatterton, who was in charge of the Liverpool-Bournemouth match, was clear. "Merseyside Police will not tolerate incidents of this type or any hate crime. We take incidents like this very seriously and will proactively seek football banning orders, in conjunction with the club, against those responsible," he said.
"There is no place for racism, and it is vital that anyone who witnesses a crime of this kind reports it to the team or the police immediately so we can take the necessary action, as we did this afternoon. As with every match, we work closely with Liverpool and Everton FC to ensure the safety of the fans and players," he noted.
A Liverpool FC spokesperson stated that the club "condemns racism and discrimination in all its forms." "They have no place in society or in football. The club cannot comment further as tonight's alleged incident is the subject of an ongoing police investigation, which we will fully support," he said.
Following the incident, Semenyo scored two second-half goals to help Bournemouth overturn a two-goal deficit at Anfield, before Liverpool eventually won the match 4-2.
Smith later told Sky Sports News that this "shouldn't be happening." "I don't know how Ant was able to keep playing and score those goals. It's totally unacceptable. Something has to be done. Taking a knee isn't doing the trick. We're supporting him and hope he recovers."
"I wanted him to react because that's what I would have done. It shows the kind of man he is. To be fair, the Liverpool players were also very supportive of Antoine and the rest of the team. It was handled the right way, but I'm really angry. I don't know what else we can do. Nobody understands, I don't know what to say anymore. I just feel sorry for Ant, it's shocking," he said.
The Premier League confirmed what happened and stated that it had activated its anti-discrimination protocol. "The incident at Anfield will be thoroughly investigated. We offer our full support to the player and both clubs. Racism has no place in our sport or in any part of society. We will continue to work with stakeholders and authorities to ensure our stadiums are an inclusive and welcoming environment for all," it emphasized.
The incident comes two days after Tottenham Hotspur player Mathys Tel was subjected to racist abuse online after missing a penalty in the European Super Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain.
The English Football Association (FA) declared itself "concerned" by the accusation of racism against Semenyo and assured that "appropriate action" would be taken. "We are very concerned about the allegation of discrimination by a section of the public, which was reported to the match officials during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Bournemouth," it said.
"Incidents of this nature have no place in our game, and we will work closely with match officials, clubs, and the relevant authorities to establish the facts and ensure appropriate action is taken," he concluded.
