Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo has thanked his teammates, Liverpool and the match officials for their support after he reported racist abuse during Friday's Premier League season opener at Anfield.
The Ghana international was targeted by a man in the crowd during the first half, prompting referee Anthony Taylor to stop play and speak to both managers and captains before play resumed.
Merseyside Police later confirmed that a 47-year-old man had been ejected from the stadium and that an investigation is under way.
“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. He thanked his Bournemouth teammates, Liverpool players and fans, and the Premier League officials for handling the situation professionally.
With Liverpool leading 2-0, Semenyo scored twice in the second half to level the score before the home side struck two late goals to win 4-2. “Scoring those two goals felt like speaking the only language that truly matters on the pitch,” the 25-year-old added.
Semenyo also revealed he had been racially abused online after the game, sharing a screenshot of a comment with monkey emojis and asking: “When will this stop?”
