Premier League issue statement after Semenyo subjected to alleged racial abuse in season opener | OneFootball

The Premier League have issued a statement following alleged racial abuse aimed at Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo on the opening day of the 2025/26 Premier League season.

Play was briefly stopped during Liverpool’s 4-2 win over Bournemouth on Friday and a 47-year-old man was ejected from the ground with an investigation now underway, Merseyside Police revealed.

Kev Chatterton, the force’s Match Commander, confirmed that “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.”

“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,” Chatterton added.

In a statement issued via @PLMatchCentre on X, the Premier League confirmed that the stoppage was “in line with the Premier League’s on-field anti-discrimination protocol.”

“The incident at Anfield will now be fully investigated. We offer our full support to the player and both clubs. Racism has no place in our game, or anywhere in society.”

“We will continue to work with stakeholders and authorities to ensure our stadiums are an inclusive and welcoming environment for all.”

25-year-old Semenyo scored twice to restore parity at Anfield, before late goals from Federico Chiesa and Mohamed Salah saw Liverpool clinch all three points.