Semeno thanks Liverpool and Bournemouth for support after racial discrimination

Bournemouth forward Antoine Semeno thanked the football community through Instagram after being racist in the stands at Anfield opener. The Ghana international specifically mentioned the handling of the immediate interruption of the match by referee Anthony Taylor and the sportsmanship demonstrated by Liverpool players and fans. Merseyside police have expelled a 47-year-old man involved and launched an investigation, while Semeno's performance of scoring twice after the incident is more symbolic - he tied the score with two goals, although the team eventually lost 2-4. Data shows that this is the 11th incident of racial discrimination in the past three seasons in the Premier League, but the first time there has been a case where a victim responds with goals on the spot.

Semeno wrote in the long article: 'The night of Anfield will be forever engraved in my memory, not because of someone's harsh words, but the unity of the entire football family. 'The details shared by the 25-year-old striker was moving - the scene of Salah and Neto walking towards him and embracing each other when the referee called the captains of both sides to discuss, and two minutes of anti-racist applause rang out in the stands. According to Opta statistics, the game was interrupted by 6 minutes and 48 seconds after the incident, but Semeno's running distance increased by 12% in the second half, and his 7.8-point Whoscored score hit a record high in the Premier League. This ability to transform anger into competitive skills is reminiscent of a similar encounter with Vinicius at Pisjuan Stadium in 2021.

However, the monkey emoticon attack on social media after the game exposed the stubbornness of systemic discrimination. The screenshots posted by Semeno triggered an official Premier League announcement that they will join forces with the anti-cyber hatred organization (Kick It Out) to track down the account. It is worth pondering that FBref data shows that among the Premier League players who have suffered racial discrimination in the past two years, African-American attackers account for as high as 73%, which is not unrelated to their frequent attacks on the penalty area. As the Guardian reporter Jonathan Wilson said: 'When football tries to highlight progress with rainbow armbands, the shadows on the stands and keyboards are still reminding us that the sport is always a microscope of social contradictions. 'The Semeno incident may become a turning point in promoting the Premier League to use a stricter ID real-name system to watch the game.

source:7m free