Liverpool FC have strongly condemned the racist abuse of Ghanaian forward Antoine Semenyo during the opening game of the season against AFC Bournemouth at Anfield.
The game which ended in a thrilling 4-2 victory for the Reds was marred by an incident of racism as the match was paused for some minutes during the first half.
Semenyo had reported the moment he was abused to the referee leading to the invitation of the technical heads of the two sides.
"Tonight's match between Liverpool Football Club and AFC Bournemouth was temporarily paused during the first half after a report of discriminatory abuse from the crowd, directed at Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo. This is 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," wrote the Premier League, confirming the incident.
The game resumed few minutes later with Liverpool opening the scoring through new signing Hugo Ekitike before half time.
Ekitike set up Cody Gakpo for the second after the break but Semenyo hit a quick-fire brace to level the scores. Federico Chiesa and Mohamed Salah stole the show in the final ten minutes of the game to give Liverpool victory.
Despite the win, Liverpool released a statement condemning the alleged incident, claiming there will be further investigations.
"Liverpool Football Club is aware of an allegation of racist abuse made during our Premier League game against AFC Bournemouth. We condemn racism and discrimination in all forms, it has no place in society or football. The club is unable to comment further as tonight’s alleged incident is the subject of an ongoing police investigation, which we will support fully," they posted on their official website.
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