Bournemouth skipper Adam Smith spoke about his anger over the racial abuse reportedly suffered by his teammate Antoine Semeño on Friday evening. Play was stopped during the first half of Cherry’s clash with Liverpool at Anfield after Winger told umpire Anthony Taylor that he believed racist abuse was being thrown in his direction.
Play resumed after both managers, the captain and the police were notified. Bournemo lost the match 4-2, but Semeño marked the collision and bagged the braces and returned to the contest to level the score.
Despite the action-packed nature of the match, it was somewhat overshadowed by allegations of racist abuse that Semenyo suffered. Speaking about the post-match incident, Bournemouth Captain Smith issued a call to praise the winger for not responding and take more valuable actions.
He told Sky Sports:
“I wanted him to respond because that’s what I did. I went straight. It shows what type of guy he is and playing fair to Ali. I was honestly shocked.
The Premier League Match Center issued a statement detailing the allegations of the incident and outlining how referee Taylor followed the protocol by referee Taylor halting play and notifying relevant authorities of reports from players.
The statement said: “Tonight’s match between Liverpool Football Club and AFC Bournemouth was temporarily suspended in the first half after reports of discriminatory abuse from a crowd directed at Antoine Megno in Bournemouth.
“The incident at Anfield will be fully investigated. We provide full support for players and both clubs. Racism has no place in our game or society. We will continue to work with stakeholders and authorities to ensure that the stadium is an inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone.”
