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Liverpool’s Premier League opener against Bournemouth on Friday was overshadowed by an ugly incident when Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo reported being racially abused from the stands. The match, played at Anfield, was stopped in the 29th minute after Antoine Semenyo informed referee Anthony Taylor of the abuse.
Taylor immediately paused the game and held talks with both managers, Liverpool’s Arne Slot and Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola, as well as the team captains Virgil van Dijk and Adam Smith. After a brief stoppage, the game was restarted.
Later, Semenyo shared his frustration on Instagram, posting screenshots of racist monkey emojis sent to him online with the caption, “When will it stop?”
The Premier League released a strong statement confirming the incident and said it would be fully investigated. The statement stressed that racism has no place in football or society and that all clubs and players will receive full support as part of the league’s anti-discrimination policy.
Merseyside Police also confirmed that a 47-year-old man was identified and removed from the stadium. Chief Inspector Kev Chatterton said such hate crimes would not be tolerated and added that they will seek banning orders to stop offenders from attending football matches in the future.
Despite the unpleasant moment, the match itself was a thrilling contest. Liverpool came out 4-2 winners, although Semenyo briefly pulled Bournemouth level at 2-2 with two goals.