Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo has expressed heartfelt gratitude to his teammates, Liverpool players, and the broader football community for the wave of support he received after being subjected to racial abuse during the Premier League’s season opener at Anfield.
The incident occurred during the first half of Friday night’s match, when Semenyo reported the abuse to referee Anthony Taylor with the score tied at 0-0. Taylor temporarily paused the game to consult with both managers and team captains. Following the report, a 47-year-old fan was identified and ejected from the stadium. Authorities have since opened a hate crime investigation.
On Saturday, Semenyo took to social media to reflect on the night, describing it as unforgettable—not due to the abuse itself, but because of the powerful unity shown in response.
“Last night at Anfield will stay with me forever — not because of one person’s words, but because of how the entire football family stood together,” Semenyo wrote. “The overwhelming messages of support from across the football world remind me why I love this sport. We keep moving forward, together.”
He specifically thanked his Bournemouth teammates for standing by him, Liverpool’s players and fans for their show of character, and Premier League officials for handling the situation with professionalism.
“Football showed its best side when it mattered most,” Semenyo added.
Despite the troubling incident, Semenyo put on a standout performance, scoring both of Bournemouth’s goals in a 4-2 defeat. He said the goals were a powerful form of expression: “Scoring those two goals felt like speaking the only language that truly matters on the pitch. This is why I play — for moments like these, for my teammates, for everyone who believes in what this beautiful game can be.”
Following the game, Semenyo also shared examples of further racial abuse he received online, questioning, “When will it stop…”
During halftime at Anfield, an anti-discrimination message was broadcast to the crowd, and Bournemouth players were seen consoling Semenyo on the field.
Liverpool issued a statement confirming awareness of the incident and reaffirmed their strong stance against all forms of racism and discrimination. The club also noted that it is cooperating fully with the ongoing police investigation.
Chief Inspector Kev Chatterton, the match commander, stated: “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.”
The Premier League has announced that it will investigate the matter and is offering full support to Semenyo and both clubs involved.
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