Man arrested after Premier League opener halted due to alleged racist abuse

9 hours ago

Referee Anthony Taylor briefly stopped the game to talk with the managers and some players. (Robin Jones/via CNN Newsource)
A 47-year-old man has been arrested after the Premier League's season opener on Friday was briefly halted due to alleged racist abuse, local police announced Saturday.
'We have arrested a man following reports racist abuse was directed towards Bournemouth player Antoine Semenyo during his team's Premier League fixture versus Liverpool at Anfield on Friday 15 August,' the Merseyside Police said in Saturday's statement.
'The suspect's identity was confirmed and he was removed from the ground following the report.'
In the 26th minute of the match, broadcast video showed a fan engaging with Semenyo while the forward went to retrieve a ball for an impending throw-in. The fan can be seen shouting and pointing at the winger just before the Ghanaian restarted play.
A short time later, play was temporarily suspended as both sides' managers and some players gathered with the match referee, Anthony Taylor, in the technical area to apparently discuss the incident between the fan and the player.
On Saturday, Semenyo posted a statement to X, formerly known as Twitter, saying that the night will 'stay with me forever - not because of one person's words, but because of how the entire football family stood together.'
The 25-year-old winger thanked both his Bournemouth teammates and Liverpool's players, as well as the match officials for reacting in the way they did. He went on to score both of Bournemouth's goals, though the Cherries ultimately still succumbed to a 4-2 defeat.
'Scoring those two goals felt like speaking the only language that truly matters on the pitch,' Semenyo added. 'This is why I play - for moments like these, for my teammates, for everyone who believes in what this beautiful game can be.'
'The overwhelming messages of support from across the football world remind me why I love this sport. We keep moving forward, together.'
The English FA also released a statement following the incident, stating the organization was 'concerned' about the alleged 'discrimination from an area of the crowd' and pledged to work with authorities, both clubs and match officials to 'establish the facts and ensure the appropriate action is taken.'

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Lions 36, Alouettes 18: Nathan Rourke threw for 382 yards, with four touchdowns

National Post

3 hours ago

National Post

Lions 36, Alouettes 18: Nathan Rourke threw for 382 yards, with four touchdowns

The Montreal Alouettes fell 36-18 to the B.C. Lions on Saturday and lost yet another quarterback in the process. Article content Caleb Evans connected on 3-of-4 passing attempts for 32 yards and was sacked three times before leaving the game with an apparent leg injury in the second quarter. Article content Article content He was replaced by James Morgan who amassed 211 passing yards, making good on 20 of his 33 attempts with one touchdown — the first of his CFL career — and one interception. Article content Tyler Snead drove in the lone major for Montreal and kicker Jose Maltos Diaz made four field goals, including one for 41 yards, as the Als (5-5) dropped a third straight game. Article content Lions QB Nathan Rourke threw for 382 yards, going 26-for-34 with four touchdowns and one interception. Article content Receiver Keon Hatcher chalked up two TDs for B.C. (5-5), while Justin McInnis and Stanley Berryhill III had one apiece and Sean Whyte booted three field goals, with his longest sailing 46 yards through the uprights. Article content The Lions opened the scoring with a 23-yard field goal from Whyte, then got to work on defence. Article content B.C. defensive lineman Jonah Tavai sacked Evans on his second snap of the game and his teammate, Sione Teheuma, followed suit minutes later, hauling down the QB once again. Article content Whyte made a 30-yard field goal to give the Lions a 6-0 edge at the end of the first quarter. Article content Article content Another sack by Teheuma left Evans on the turf at B.C. Place, grasping at his left leg. Trainers came out to take a look and he eventually walked off the field gingerly with help from his teammates. Article content Article content The 27-year-old American then sat on the sidelines without pads before heading to the locker room in a cart with crutches by his side at halftime. Article content Article content He was replaced by the untested Morgan. Article content The 28-year-old American is the fourth quarterback to play for Montreal this season, coming after No. 1 David Alexander and backup McLeod Bethel-Thompson both landed on the six-game injured list. Article content The Als shook off the loss of their QB by getting on the board with a 41-yard field goal by Maltos Dias and the Lions responded with a 46-yard strike from Whyte that preserved their 9-3 lead. Article content Yet another field goal from Montreal — a 21-yard kick — cut the advantage to three points midway through the second quarter. Article content B.C. strung together a series of plays and made it into the red zone, where Rourke dished off to McInnis for a five-yard touchdown. Whyte made the conversion and the Lions went up 16-6. Article content Another field goal from Maltos Diaz whittled the home side's advantage to seven points at halftime.