Police and Premier League officials have opened investigations after Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo reported being racially abused by a supporter during his side’s opening Premier League fixture against Liverpool at Anfield on Friday night.
The match was briefly halted in the 29th minute when referee Anthony Taylor stopped play following the incident. Taylor consulted both managers, Arne Slot and Andoni Iraola, as well as Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and Bournemouth skipper Adam Smith, before the game was resumed.
A 47-year-old man was ejected from the stadium and is now under investigation, Merseyside Police confirmed. Officers also visited the referee’s room at half time, and an anti-discrimination announcement was made to supporters inside the ground.
Chief Inspector Kev Chatterton, who oversaw the match, said police would take strong action against anyone found guilty of hate crime. “Merseyside Police will not tolerate hate crime of any form. We take incidents like this very seriously, and in cases like this we will be proactively seeking football banning orders, with the club, against those responsible,” he said.
He urged fans to report such behaviour immediately to stewards or police, adding: “There is no place for racism and it is vital that anyone who witnesses such an offence reports it, so we can take the necessary action like we did this evening.”
The Premier League confirmed it will also carry out a full investigation under its anti-discrimination protocols. “Tonight’s match between Liverpool and AFC Bournemouth was temporarily paused during the first half after a report of discriminatory abuse from the crowd, directed at Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo,” a league statement read.
“The incident at Anfield will now be fully investigated. We offer our full support to the player and both clubs. Racism has no place in our game, or anywhere in society. We will continue to work with stakeholders and authorities to ensure our stadiums are an inclusive and welcoming environment for all.”
Semenyo, who went on to score twice after play restarted, later highlighted further racist abuse on social media. He posted a screenshot of a comment containing a monkey emoji and wrote: “When will it stop…”
The incident has sparked strong condemnation across the game, with both police and league authorities vowing to ensure swift and firm action against discriminatory behaviour inside stadiums.
