Merseyside Police said the 71-year-old man from Nottinghamshire was bailed with restrictions keeping him away from stadia on matchdays.
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Antoine Semenyo, left, and Marc Guehi were racially abused during and after Manchester City’s game at Everton (Peter Byrne/Martin Rickett/PA)
Antoine Semenyo, left, and Marc Guehi were racially abused during and after Manchester City’s game at Everton (Peter Byrne/Martin Rickett/PA)
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A 71-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of directing racist abuse towards Antoine Semenyo during Monday night’s 3-3 draw between Everton and Manchester City.
Merseyside Police said a man from Nottinghamshire was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence after supporters and stewards reported that racist abuse was shouted by a fan.
A police statement said: “He has since 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.
“An investigation into the incident during the match remains ongoing and we continue to work closely with Everton Football Club.”
City condemned the incident, while Everton said: “Racism and discrimination in all forms are completely unacceptable. They have no place in our stadia, our sport or in society, and behaviour of this nature will not be tolerated.
“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.”
It is the second time this season that Semenyo has been the target of alleged racial abuse.
In August, the Ghana international reported an incident during his then club Bournemouth’s 4-2 defeat at Liverpool.
In December, Mark Morgan, 47, appeared at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court and pleaded not guilty to an offence of racially aggravated disorderly behaviour against Semenyo.
His trial was due to begin last month but the case has been adjourned until September to determine whether Morgan is fit to stand trial. Semenyo had been expected to give evidence.
Separately following Monday’s match, City said that racist abuse had been directed towards England defender Marc Guehi on social media.
A statement from City 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 Guehi 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.”
City’s draw at Everton was a potentially decisive moment in the Premier League title race with Arsenal. By dropping points, they have handed the initiative back to the Gunners who can secure the crown by winning their remaining fixtures against West Ham, Burnley and Crystal Palace.
Guehi made a key error in the match which led to Everton equalising through Thierno Barry before going on to take a 3-1 lead which City clawed back late on.
After the match, the 25-year-old wrote on Instagram: “I need to do better, but we keep going and focused on the next. Thank you for your support as always. Thank you Jesus!”
A statement posted to the official England account on X read: “This type of behaviour is completely unacceptable and must have consequences.
“We stand with both Marc and his Manchester City team-mate Antoine, and support strong action by the authorities and social media companies.”