A 71-year-old Everton supporter has been taken into custody on allegations of directing racial abuse at Manchester City winger Antoine Semenyo during Monday night's encounter. The incident occurred at Hill Dickinson Stadium, where the two teams played to a draw.
In a separate development, Manchester City confirmed that defender Marc Guehi was also subjected to racist abuse on social media platforms following the game.
Everton released a statement detailing that the elderly fan was arrested 'on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence after supporters and stewards reported the incident' involving Semenyo inside the stadium.
The statement further read: 'Racism and discrimination in all forms are completely unacceptable. They have no place in our stadia, our sport or in society, and behaviour of this nature will not be tolerated. A swift response from fellow supporters, stewards, and Merseyside Police led to the individual being identified and appropriate action taken.'
The club emphasized its zero-tolerance policy, stating: 'The club will continue to work closely with the authorities to support their investigation and will take the strongest possible action in line with its zero-tolerance approach.'
Everton encouraged fans to report any form of discrimination, harassment, or anti-social behaviour by speaking to a steward or police officer, or through confidential reporting channels. Incidents can be reported to the Stadium Safety Team by texting HELP along with details of the incident and location to 84300, or by emailing [email protected].
Manchester City also issued a statement, saying: 'We welcome the swift action taken by Everton and the police to identify the individual responsible. We will continue to offer our full support to both Antoine and Marc and never accept discrimination of any kind in our game.'
