Man arrested for alleged Semenyo racist abuse gets stadium ban
The match against Liverpool at Anfield on Friday was briefly stopped in the first half after Semenyo reported the incident to the referee.
Antoine Semenyo #24 of AFC Bournemouth runs the field during the Premier League Summer Series match between AFC Bournemouth and West Ham United FC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on August 03, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. AJ Reynolds/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by AJ Reynolds / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
LIVERPOOL - A man arrested on suspicion of racially abusing Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo during the opening game of the Premier League season has been banned from every football stadium in the UK.
The match against Liverpool at Anfield on Friday was briefly stopped in the first half after Semenyo reported the incident to the referee.
A 47-year-old man from Liverpool has been released on bail after he was arrested the following day on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence, Merseyside Police said on Monday.
As part of his bail conditions, he cannot attend any regulated football match in the UK, and is not allowed within a mile of any football stadium.
A police investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Ghana international Semenyo went on to score twice as Bournemouth came back from two goals down but Liverpool eventually won 4-2.
Semenyo, 25, said on social media that the night at Anfield would stay with him forever "because of how the entire football family stood together".
"Football showed its best side when it mattered most," he wrote, thanking his team-mates, Liverpool players and fans, as well as the Premier League officials "who handled it professionally".