An Everton fan was arrested on Monday night after allegedly shouting a racist abuse at Manchester City winger Antoine Semenyo. Everton drew 3-3 with City in a thrilling Premier League clash at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Semenyo was also accused of racist abuse during Bournemouth’s game against Liverpool at Anfield in August, where he played 74 minutes. Everton confirmed the development in an official statement on Tuesday afternoon.
“Everton Football Club can confirm that a supporter was arrested following reports of racist abuse towards an opposition player during Monday night’s 3-3 Premier League draw with Manchester City at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Merseyside Police arrested a 71-year-old man on suspicion of racially aggravated public order offense after supporters and stewards reported the incident,” it read.
“He was subsequently released on bail with conditions including not being allowed to go within one mile of a designated sports stadium within four hours before kick-off, during the match, and within four hours after the final whistle.”
“Racism and discrimination in all its forms is completely unacceptable. They have no place in our stadiums, in our sport or in our society and this type of behavior will not be tolerated.”
“The swift response of fellow supporters, stewards and Merseyside Police has ensured that the individual has been identified and appropriate action taken. The club will continue to work closely with the authorities to assist with the investigation and will take the strongest possible action in line with our zero-tolerance approach.”
City confirmed the abuse allegations were directed at Semenyo, but also highlighted online abuse aimed at defender Marc Gehi. They said in a release: “Manchester City strongly condemns the racist abuse directed at Antoine Semenyo during yesterday’s match. We welcome the swift action taken by Everton and the police to identify those responsible.”
“We were deeply disappointed to hear last night that Mark Gehi was the subject of a series of vile and racist social media posts. We continue to offer our full support to both Antoine and Mark and will never accept discrimination of any kind in our game.”
City salvaged a point on Merseyside with Jeremy Doku’s second goal late in stoppage time. The Belgian winger broke the deadlock for the visiting title-chasing side, but three goals in the space of 15 minutes in the second half saw Everton surge to a 3-1 advantage.
Tierno Barry leveled the score at 1-1 after a mistake by Marc Guehi, and then Jake O’Brien headed home from a corner kick to give the hosts the lead. Barry then scored twice with a tap-in, giving Everton a two-goal buffer.
That didn’t last long though, as Erling Haaland scored with a delicate chip finish right after the restart, while Doc curled home a dramatic late equalizer for City.
