Premier League opening game halted by 'racist abuse' – victim scores twice

Liverpool's Premier League season-opening match against Bournemouth was briefly halted on Friday after visiting forward Antoine Semenyo reported getting racist abuse from the crowd.

Referee Anthony Taylor stopped play at a Liverpool corner in the 29th minute to address the incident, summoning both managers to the touchline for a briefing.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and Bournemouth counterpart Adam Smith were then called over to the benches for further instructions before play resumed four minutes later.

Following halftime, an anti-discrimination message was read out to the crowd at Anfield.

Ghana international Semenyo, 25, went on to score twice after play resumed, helping his side to briefly level the score before reigning Premier League champions Liverpool secured a 4-2 victory with a late surge.

"We're very concerned about the allegation of discrimination from an area of the crowd," England's Football Association said in a statement. "Incidents of this nature have no place in our game, and we will work closely with the match officials, the clubs, and the relevant authorities to establish the facts and ensure that the appropriate action is taken."

No tolerance for hate crime

Merseyside Police said a 47-year-old man had been ejected from Anfield after reports of the racist abuse, adding that an investigation was under way. Liverpool said they would fully support the police investigation.

"Merseyside Police will not tolerate hate crime of any form," Chief Inspector Kev Chatterton, the match commander for the game, said in a statement.

"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 offense reports it to stewards, or the police immediately, so we can take the necessary action like we did this evening"

Liverpool coach Arne Slot was upset about the incident.

"It is clear that we do not want this in football," the Dutchman said. "We definitely don't want this at Anfield ... This should never happen in football, let alone at Anfield."

Bournemouth coach Andoni Iraola said: "It's a big shame that these things keep happening. It's the first game of the season, a lovely game of football, and I have to speak about these things happening."

The incident at Anfield follows reports of Tottenham Hotspur's French forward Mathys Tel being subjected to racist abuse on social media after missing a penalty in his side's UEFA Super Cup defeat by Paris St Germain on Wednesday.

'Football showed its best side'

Semenyo thanked his teammates, Liverpool and match officials for their support.

"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 on Instagram.

"To my Bournemouth teammates who supported me in that moment, to the Liverpool players and fans who showed their true character, to the Premier League officials who handled it professionally - thank you.

"Football showed its best side when it mattered most.

“Scoring those two goals felt like speaking the only language that truly matters on the pitch," Semenyo added. "This is why I play - for moments like these, for my teammates, for everyone who believes in what this beautiful game can be.

"The overwhelming messages of support from across the football world remind me why I love this sport. We keep moving forward, together."

Semenyo also revealed that he had been racially abused online after the game. "When will it stop," he said, sharing a screenshot of a comment in which someone posted monkey emojis on his profile.