A 47-year-old man was ejected from Anfield Stadium on Friday night after reportedly directing racist abuse at Bournemouth player Antoine Semenyo during the season opener between Liverpool and Bournemouth.
Authorities confirmed the man’s identity following his removal from the stadium, and an investigation is now underway.
Chief Inspector Kev Chatterton, the match commander for the Liverpool-Bournemouth fixture, emphasized the seriousness of the incident, “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 added, “There is no place for racism and it is vital that anyone who witnesses such an offence reports it to stewards, or the police immediately, so we can take the necessary action like we did this evening. As with all matches, we work very closely with both Liverpool and Everton FC to ensure the safety of the public, and the players.”
Liverpool Football Club also addressed the incident, stating, “Liverpool Football Club is aware of an allegation of racist abuse made during our Premier League game against Bournemouth. 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.”
Merseyside Police encouraged the public to report any hate crime via Twitter @MerPolCC, Facebook at Merseyside Police CC, or by calling 101.
