A 71-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of racially abusing Antoine Semenyo of Manchester City during their 3-3 draw at Everton on Monday, when his teammate Marc Guéhi was subjected to racist abuse online.
Merseyside police arrested the man after supporters and stewards reported the incident at Hill Dickinson Stadium. He has been bailed with conditions, including restrictions preventing him from going within one mile of any designated sports stadium for a period of up to four hours before kick-off, during matches and up to four hours after the final whistle.
Everton said in a statement: “A swift response from fellow supporters, stewards and Merseyside police led to the individual being identified and appropriate action taken. 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.”
City condemned the racist abuse of Semenyo and revealed that Guéhi was targeted. The draw handed the advantage to Arsenal in the race for the Premier League title.
The club said: “Manchester City strongly condemns the racist abuse directed towards Antoine Semenyo at yesterday’s match. We welcome the swift action taken by Everton and the police to identify the individual responsible.
“We are also incredibly disappointed to hear that Marc Guéhi was subject to a series of vile racist social media posts last night. We will continue to offer our full support to both Antoine and Marc and never accept discrimination of any kind in our game.”
Semenyo was also targeted when playing for Bournemouth against Liverpool at Anfield last August. Mark Mogan of Dovecot, Liverpool, pleaded not guilty to an offence of racially aggravated disorderly behaviour against the forward and was due to stand trial at Liverpool magistrates court last month. The case was adjourned to allow for a psychiatric report on whether Mogan is fit to stand trial.
