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Antoine Semenyo of Bournemouth(Image: Michael Steele/Getty Images)

A man has been arrested after racist abuse was allegedly hurled at Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo during his team’s Premier League fixture against Liverpool at Anfield.

The Reds kicked off the defence of their Premier League title with a 4-2 victory at Anfield.

Merseyside Police said the suspect’s identity was confirmed and he was removed from the grounds.

Police have now confirmed a 47-year-old man from Liverpool has today, August 16, been arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence.

He has been taken into custody to be interviewed.

Following the match on Friday, Semenyo wrote on social media: "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.

"To my Bournemouth team-mates 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.

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"Football showed its best side when it mattered most.

We keep moving forward, together."

Chief Inspector Kev Chatterton the match commander for the Liverpool v Bournemouth game, said: “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.

"As with all matches, we work very closely with both Liverpool and Everton FC to ensure the safety of the public , and the players.”

A spokesperson for Liverpool FC said: "Liverpool Football Club is aware of an allegation of racist abuse made during our Premier League game against 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 is incident is the subject of an ongoing police investigation, which we will support fully."

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To report a hate crime, contact Merseyside Police social media desk via Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook Merseyside Police CC.

You can also call 101, or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

If, for any reason, you do not wish to report a hate crime to the police, the independent charity Stop Hate UK to run a 24/7 confidential helpline for all victims of hate crime on 0800 138 1625 or www.stophateuk.org.
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