Police confirmed that the 47-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated public order crimes following Liverpool’s Premier League opening match against Bournemouth on Friday night. It is allegedly that Antoine Semenyo was racially abused in the first half of the match and had an official from the Bournemouth Forward Alert Match.
The fan was identified by Anfield’s security team and was subsequently removed from the stadium. It has since been revealed that the individual has been arrested by local police.
A spokesperson for Merseyside Police said: “A man has been arrested following reports of racist abuse being directed at Bournemouth player Antoine Semeño amid Liverpool’s team’s Premier League fixtures and Liverpool on Friday, August 15th.
“The suspect’s identity has been confirmed and he was taken from the ground after the report. The 47-year-old Liverpool man was arrested today (Saturday, August 16th) on suspicion of racially aggravated public order crimes. He was taken into custody for interviews.”
Liverpool himself commented on the incident, saying, “The Liverpool Football Club is aware of allegations of racist abuse that took place during a Premier League match against Bournemouth.
“We condemn racism and discrimination in all forms, which have no place in society or football. The club cannot comment further as the allegations tonight are subject to an ongoing police investigation.
The game’s match commander, Kev Chatterton, chief of game, added: “The Merseyside police do not tolerate any form of hate crimes, and we take cases like this very seriously.
“There is no place for racism, and it is important for anyone who has witnessed such a crime to report it immediately to the steward or police, so you can take the necessary action, like tonight.
Liverpool scored fixtures 4-2, but Semenyo scored the net twice, leveling the score 2-2 midway through the second half. Federico Chiesa and Mohamed Salah scored late at home to secure the opening victory.
