Merseyside Police arrested an Everton fan for an alleged racist abuse towards Antoine Semenyo during a Premier League game on Monday. The supporter was arrested over the Semenyo racist abuse at the fixture between Everton and Manchester City which ended in an epic 3-3 draw at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
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A Police statement revealed a 71-year-old man from Nottinghamshire was arrested “on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence.” The arrest happened after “supporters and stewards reported that racist abuse was shouted by a fan”.
“An investigation into the incident during the match remains ongoing and we continue to work closely with Everton FC,” the statement also read. “He has now been bailed with conditions, which includes not to go within one mile of any designated sports stadium in a period of up to four hours before kick-off, during the match and up to four hours after the game has ended.”
Everton also released an official statement condemning the behaviour and emphatically stating it would not be tolerated by the club.
“Racism and discrimination in all forms are completely unacceptable. They have no place in our stadia, our sport or in society,” the club said. “The club will continue to work closely with the authorities to support their investigation and will take the strongest possible action in line with its zero-tolerance approach.”
This is a second reported Semenyo racist abuse incident this season. At his former club Bournemouth, the 26-year-old reported being racially abused by a spectator during their 4-2 defeat at Liverpool in the opening Premier League game. The Ghana international subsequently suggested that more measures should be done to tackle racism, including jail sentences for convicted offenders.
Praising Everton for their swift actions, City revealed that Semenyo’s teammate Marc Guehi also reportedly suffered online racist abuse. However, the “incredibly disappointed” club will “continue to offer our full support to both Antoine and Marc and never accept discrimination of any kind in our game.”
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