Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has made it clear: racist abuse will not be tolerated in football. Offenders risk being banned from stadiums—and could even
face criminal charges.
His warning comes after Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo was subjected to racist abuse during Friday’s match at Anfield, where Liverpool beat Bournemouth 4-2.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Masters stressed the seriousness of the issue:
"No Premier League player should ever have to face that kind of abuse—whether in a stadium or online. It’s a wider problem in society, but it has no place in football."
He added that the league will continue to take tough action:
"If you use discriminatory language inside a football ground, first you’ll be thrown out. Then you’ll be banned. And you may well end up facing prosecution."
The game itself was paused in the 29th minute as referee Anthony Taylor called both managers and captains over to deal with the situation. After a four-minute break, play resumed—and Semenyo went on to score twice, showing remarkable resilience.
Police later confirmed that a 47-year-old man from Liverpool was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence.
Semenyo responded with dignity, thanking his teammates, Liverpool, the officials, and the wider football community for rallying around him:
"Last night at Anfield will stay with me forever—not because of one person’s words, but because of how the entire football family stood together," he shared on Instagram.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t an isolated case. Just days earlier, Tottenham’s Mathys Tel was targeted with racist abuse online after missing a penalty in the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain.
Masters’ message is clear: football is uniting against racism, and anyone who tries to poison the game with hate will face serious consequences. Photo by East Stand - Vitality Stadium by Mr Ignavy, Wikimedia commons.