New Delhi, Aug 16 (IANS) Antoine Semenyo took to social media to state that he will forever remember how the ‘entire football family’ stood up with him after he was subjected to racial abuse from a fan at the Anfield Stadium in Liverpool on Friday.

The Premier League opener between reigning champions Liverpool and Bournemouth was stopped for several minutes during the first half following an allegation of “discriminatory abuse” from a supporter towards Semenyo.

“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.

“To my @afcb teammates who supported me in that moment, to the @liverpoolfc players and fans who showed their true character, to the @premierleague officials who handled it professionally – thank you,” posted Semenyo on Instagram.

Despite having undergone the unfortunate situation, Semenyo showed his class by continuing on with the game and showed incredible heart by scoring a brace and helping his side level the game 2-2, despite having trailed by two goals.

Semenyo believes football showed its ‘best side’ when it mattered most and thanked the fans for their overwhelming messages.

“Football showed its best side when it mattered most. Scoring those two goals felt like speaking the only language that truly matters on the pitch. This is why I play – for moments like these, for my teammates, for everyone who believes in what this beautiful game can be. The overwhelming messages of support from across the football world remind me why I love this sport. We keep moving forward, together,” he further added.

Despite the incredible comeback, late goals by Federico Chiesa and talismanic forward Mohamed Salah saw Liverpool take a 4-2 victory on the opening night, marking the fitting end to an emotional night which saw the Egyptian forward leave the pitch in tears after singing songs of late teammate Diogo Jota with the Liverpool faithful.

Meanwhile, the Premier League has issued a strong statement in support of Semenyo and Bournemouth over the racial abuse incident in Liverpool. The statement said, “We stand alongside Antoine Semenyo and @afcbournemouth in condemning racist abuse. Discrimination in any form will not be tolerated by the Premier League and our clubs. We encourage supporters to report it both at stadiums and online”.

–IANS

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