Police launch hate crime probe in Liverpool after fan's alleged racial abuse of Semenyo during game
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The incident occurred Friday night at Anfield when Semenyo, who is Black, reported the abuse to referee Anthony Taylor in the first half with the score at 0-0. Play was briefly stopped while Taylor spoke to both coaches and team captains.
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'Merseyside Police will not tolerate hate crime of any form,' said Chief Inspector Kev Chatterton, the match commander.
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The fan's identity was confirmed and he was removed from the stadium, police added.
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'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,' Chatterton said.
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Semenyo, who scored both of Bournemouth's goals in the 4-2 loss, later posted further racial abuse that he received online.
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'When will it stop,' the 25-year-old Ghana international wrote on his Instagram account.
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Bournemouth players had consoled Semenyo and an anti-discrimination message was read out to the crowd inside Anfield after the halftime whistle.
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The Premier League also said it will investigate the incident and 'offer our full support to the player and both clubs.'
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In a statement, Liverpool said it was aware of the allegation and that it condemns 'racism and discrimination in all forms.'
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Referee Anthony Taylor speaks with Liverpool manager Arne Slot and Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola after Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo, not pictured, informed the referee of a possible racial comment from the crowd during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Bournemouth at Anfield, Liverpool, England, Friday Aug. 15, 2025. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP) James Warwick flag wire: true flag sponsored: false article_type: : sWebsitePrimaryPublication : publications/toronto_star bHasMigratedAvatar : false :
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