Bournemouth captain Adam Smith has hailed Antoine Semenyo’s two-goal reaction to allegedly suffering racist abuse during defeat to Liverpool.
The Cherries star reported to the referee that he had been subjected to racist abuse by a Liverpool fan during the first half at Anfield.
The match was briefly paused as the referee spoke to both managers and players from both sides showed support to Semenyo.
A Liverpool supporter was eventually removed from the stadium as the game continued.
The Reds went 2-0 up through goals from Hugo Ekitike and Cody Gakpo, but then Semenyo scored twice after the break to put the away team level.
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It looked like Bournemouth were going to snatch a famous point, but substitute Federico Chiesa and then Mo Salah scored late to win the match 4-2 for Liverpool.
The defeat was painful for Bournemouth, but clearly the players’ thoughts were more with Semenyo and what he had to deal with during the game, with Smith at a loss as to how it is still happening.
‘Totally unacceptable, shocked it happened in this day and age, it shouldn’t be happening,’ Smith told Sky Sports. ‘I don’t know how Ants played on and come up with them goals. It’s just totally unacceptable, I just feel sorry for Ants. He’s down, obviously. Something needs to be done, taking a knee has had no effect.
‘To be honest, I wanted him to react because that’s what I would have done, I would have gone straight over there. But that shows what type of man he is to not react even in the moment. He reported it to the ref and to score those two goals, it shows what type of guy he is and what type of character he has, so fair play to Ants.’
On his own reaction to the incident, Smith said: ‘Angry, to be honest. Shocked. I said to the ref I wanted him removed immediately. The Liverpool players were very supportive towards Antoine and the rest of the team. I think it was handled in the right way, but just so angry.
‘We’ve had discussions with he Premier League about it so they have been taking it seriously. I don’t know what else we can do, we’ve been doing it for a long time now and no one’s getting it. I don’t know what to say anymore.’
A Premier League statement read: ‘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.’
The FA added: ‘We are very concerned about the allegation of discrimination from an area of the crowd, which was reported to the match officials during the Premier League fixture between Liverpool and Bournemouth.
‘Incidents of this nature have no place in our game, and we will work closely with the match officials, the clubs and the relevant authorities to establish the facts and ensure the appropriate action is taken.’
A statement from Liverpool read: ‘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.’
