Friday’s Liverpool vs Bournemouth Premier League opener stopped in the first half after Cherries forward Antoine Semenyo reported racial abuse from someone in the Anfield crowd.
The 25-year-old Ghana international later scored twice in 12 second-half minutes, briefly levelling the game before Liverpool struck late to win 4-2. After the match, Semenyo posted further abuse he had received on Instagram with the caption: “When will it stop?”
Match Stoppage Under Premier League Anti-Discrimination Protocol
Referee Anthony Taylor halted play at the 29th minute during a Liverpool corner after Semenyo reported the abuse. Taylor spoke to both managers before calling over Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and Bournemouth skipper Adam Smith. The match resumed four minutes later with the score 0-0.
Bournemouth captain Adam Smith said he was “shocked” and called the incident “totally unacceptable”.
“Kind of in shock it happened in this day and age. I don’t know how Ant has carried on playing and come up with these goals.”
Smith added: “I said to the ref I wanted him removed immediately but the police went and sorted it. The Liverpool players were very supportive to Ant and the rest of the team. Just so angry.”
Strong Reactions from Clubs and Authorities
Anfield staff read an anti-discrimination message to the crowd during half-time. The FA said: “Incidents of this nature have no place in our game, and we will work closely with the match officials, the clubs and the relevant authorities to establish the facts and ensure the appropriate action is taken.”
Liverpool also released a statement: “We condemn racism and discrimination in all forms, it has no place in society or football. The club is unable to comment further as tonight’s alleged incident is the subject of an ongoing police investigation, which we will support fully.”
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot said: “We don’t want this in football, we don’t want this happening in stadiums, especially not at Anfield.”
Premier League and Kick It Out Statements
The Premier League confirmed the stoppage followed its on-field anti-discrimination protocol and pledged full support to the player. “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.”
Kick It Out said: “Thirty minutes into the first Premier League game of the season, and Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo is racially abused by someone in the crowd… We stand in solidarity with Antoine and can’t praise him enough for his courage.”
Wider Context of Racism in Football
This incident follows recent racist abuse aimed at Tottenham’s Mathys Tel and England defender Jess Carter. Past cases also include abuse toward Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka after the Euro 2020 final.
The football community continues pushing for stricter punishments, stronger accountability, and more education to remove racism from the game.
Stay tuned for all the latest Sports News, follow SportsNewsTime on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram