Following racist taunts directed at teammate Antoine Semenyo during the 4-2 Premier League opening against Liverpool, Bournemouth defender Adam Smith has received plaudits for his response. After Semenyo informed referee Anthony Taylor about the abuse, the game was halted just before the half-hour mark. Following some discussion, the game resumed. Later, Merseyside Police would evict a spectator from the stadium.
After Semenyo scored twice to apparently save a draw for the visitors, Federico Chiesa and Mohamed Salah scored two late goals to give a faltering Liverpool the three points. Smith was the Bournemouth player assigned to speak to Sky Sports after the game, and he gave a forceful assessment of the incident in issue.
Smith’s Strong Response to Semenyo Abuse
In his post-match remarks, Smith described the discussions that occurred in the Bournemouth dressing room and, predictably, denounced the vitriol directed at Semenyo.
“To be honest, it’s really inappropriate. To be honest, I’m stunned that it occurred in this day and age. This shouldn’t be taking place. To be honest, I have no idea how Ant managed to score those goals while playing. I simply feel bad for Ant, and it’s completely inappropriate. Something must be done. Doing this, taking the knee, isn’t working.
“I wanted him to react because I would have done the same thing. I would have gone right there. However, the fact that he did not react at the time of the incident, reported it to the referee, and received those two goals demonstrates the character and character of the man.
“To be honest, I’m more irate. Startled. I told the referee that I wanted the fan taken out right away, but he insisted that we go through the procedure and that the police would take care of it.
“To be fair, Antoine also had a lot of support from the Liverpool players. It was handled correctly, in my opinion. However, I am furious. I’m not sure what else we can do, so I’ve simply been talking to some of the guys in there. I’m at a loss for words because we’ve been doing this [taking the knee] for a while.
We simply feel sorry for Ant because he had to endure it tonight. It’s simply startling.
“We’ve had discussions with the Premier League about it so they have been taking it seriously,” Smith continued in additional remarks to the BBC. We’re at a loss for what else to do. No one is understanding what we’ve been doing for a while. Ant has had to endure that, and I feel bad for him. It’s shocking that the entire nation is watching.
Fans’ reactions to Smith’s heartfelt statement on social media were overwhelmingly favorable, with some calling it “incredible” and “powerful.”
Liverpool Issues an Abuse Statement
Liverpool themselves issued a social media statement on the event following the game, stating that they were aware of the circumstances and denounced the racist act.
“Liverpool Football Club is aware of an allegation of racist abuse made during our Premier League game against AFC Bournemouth,” the statement said.
“We oppose all types of racism and bigotry; they have no place in either 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.”
Mathys Tel was subjected to racial abuse on the internet after missing a penalty in Tottenham’s Super Cup loss to PSG, and Thomas Frank was compelled to defend the Tottenham striker during his press conference on the same day.
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