The World Today
MADRID, 16 (EUROPA PRESS)
Merseyside police reported Saturday the arrest of a 47-year-old Liverpool man on suspicion of a hate crime following the racist abuse he received from Bournemouth player Antoine Semenyo at Anfield Stadium on Friday.
The visiting striker reported being racially abused by a spectator, and match referee Anthony Taylor stopped the game 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 and a message against discrimination was read out.
Police officers entered the referees' room at halftime, and police reported that a 47-year-old man was taken from the stadium under investigation. This Saturday, law enforcement announced the arrest. "A 47-year-old man, a resident of Liverpool, was arrested today (Saturday, August 16) on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offense. He has been taken into custody for questioning," a statement said.
"Merseyside Police will not tolerate incidents of this type, or any type of hate crime. We take incidents like this very seriously and will proactively seek football banning orders, in conjunction with the club, against those responsible," Detective Chief Inspector Kev Chatterton, who was in charge of the Liverpool-Bournemouth match, said on Friday.
"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 to ensure the safety of the fans and players," he added.
Liverpool also condemned "racism and discrimination in all its forms" and referred the incident to the police. Following the incident, Semenyo scored two second-half goals to help Bournemouth come back from two goals down at Anfield, before Liverpool went on to win their Premier League opener 4-2.
