Anthony Taylor pauses play during Liverpool v Bournemouth after Antoine Semenyo racist abuse incident | OneFootball

It’s now understood that play was paused briefly during Liverpool v Bournemouth after a report of racist abuse.

Anthony Taylor brought play to a halt in the first half of action after Cherries forward Antoine Semenyo was reportedly the subject of racist comments from a fan in the crowd.

It’s the Merseysiders’ first competitive game back at Anfield since the heartbreaking passing of striker Diogo Jota.

Why did Anthony Taylor pause play during Liverpool v Bournemouth?

(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

It was initially unclear why the on-pitch official paused the game in the first 45.

Our initial suspicions here at Empire of the Kop were centred around a possible explanation to the managers on the verdict from the match centre following Marcos Senesi’s handball controversy.

However, it quickly became clear – as has been confirmed also in BBC Sport reporting – that Semenyo was racially abused by a member of the crowd.

We’re absolutely horrified that the Bournemouth star was the recipient of racist abuse at Anfield.

It goes without saying that the Anfield faithful are, by and large, a forward-thinking bunch with a lot of love and kindness to share.

But there’s simply no excuse for the behaviour of this one individual – and we hope they feel the full weight of repercussions from the club and police.

We stand with Antoine Semenyo

It’s nothing short of a disgrace that a footballer, a fellow human being, has been subjected to racial abuse in 2025.

We want to make it absolutely clear that we fully support Antoine Semenyo in this incident, and we’re devastated that a possible fellow Liverpool fan has behaved in such a horrifying manner.

Racism will never be tolerated in Liverpool, and we sincerely hope the supporter in question is hit with a minimum of a lifetime stadium ban and a further commitment to educational reform.

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