FIFA president Gianni Infantino has strongly denounced the racist abuse directed at AFC Bournemouth striker Antoine Semenyo during the Premier League opener against Liverpool at Anfield.
The 25-year-old Ghanaian forward was subjected to abuse on Friday night, prompting referee Anthony Taylor to briefly halt the game after Semenyo reported the incident.
In a statement on Saturday, Infantino described the incident as “absolutely unacceptable,” praising Semenyo’s resilience for continuing to perform under such circumstances.
“It is absolutely unacceptable to see the racist abuse aimed at AFC Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo which led to a stoppage of their Premier League match against Liverpool FC at Anfield last night.
Football has no place for racism or any form of discrimination – Antoine’s courage and performance on the pitch, despite such adversity, is a powerful example of strength and dignity for players worldwide.”
The FIFA president also assured Semenyo of the governing body’s full support, citing the role of the Players’ Voice Panel, established in 2024 as part of FIFA’s five-pillar strategy against racism.
“The Players’ Voice Panel, established as part of the five pillars against racism adopted by FIFA Congress in 2024, will be in touch with Antoine and is monitoring these situations closely. We are committed to ensuring that players are respected and protected, and that competition organisers and law enforcement authorities take appropriate action.
Everyone at FIFA, the Players’ Voice Panel and the whole football community stands firmly with Antoine, and we will continue to offer our unequivocal support to him, Bournemouth, the Premier League and The FA to ensure strong deterrents are in place, and actions taken, to eradicate racism and discrimination from our game.”
Despite the incident, Semenyo produced a standout performance, scoring twice to pull Bournemouth level at 2-2, before late strikes from Federico Chiesa and Mohamed Salah secured a 4-2 victory for Liverpool.
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