sports desk

Bournemouth captain Adam Smith expressed shock and anger after teammate Antoine Semenyo reported being racially abused by a supporter during the Cherries’ 4-2 defeat to Liverpool in the opening fixture of the Premier League season.

The match was briefly halted around the 30-minute mark when Semenyo informed referee Anthony Taylor about the incident. Both managers were subsequently made aware of the situation. At halftime, a Liverpool supporter was escorted out by police after he was observed gesturing toward the Ghanaian forward as he was ready to take a throw-in.

Semenyo played on and scored twice in the second half, demonstrating incredible composure in the face of adversity. His efforts almost gave Bournemouth a point, but late goals from Mohamed Salah and Federico Chiesa gave the reigning champions the win.

Adam Smith, the captain of Bournemouth, stated the following after the game:
“Totally unacceptable. Kind of in shock, it happened in this day and age. I don’t know how Ant has carried on playing and come up with his goals.”

Smith criticized the lack of progress in tackling racism in football, noting that symbolic gestures have not been enough:
“Taking a knee has had no effect. Something more needs to be done. It’s more anger than anything. I told the referee I wanted the fan removed immediately, but the police handled it. The Liverpool players were very supportive of Ant and the rest of the team. I feel sorry for him; he had to take that in front of the whole country. It’s shocking.”

The incident comes in the same week Tottenham condemned racist abuse directed at Mathys Tel online after his penalty miss in the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain.

Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola lamented that the incident overshadowed what was otherwise an exciting start to the season:
“It’s a shame that in the first game of the Premier League, with both teams playing such a good match, we are talking about this. It’s still a big problem, not just in football but in society. We should be talking about how great the game was.”

Liverpool boss Arne Slot also condemned the abuse and praised Semenyo’s resilience:
“This is unacceptable in any football stadium, let alone Anfield. I spoke to him after the match and told him we will do everything we can to find this person. Big credit to him; he’s not only a great player but mentally very strong to deliver such a second-half performance after something like that.”

Liverpool issued an official statement following the match:
“We condemn racism and discrimination in all forms. It has no place in society or football. The club cannot comment further, as the incident is the subject of an ongoing police investigation, which we will fully support.”