LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Police launched a hate crime investigation after ejecting a 47-year-old fan from Liverpool’s stadium for his alleged racial abuse of Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo during the opening match of the Premier League season.

The incident occurred Friday night at Anfield when Semenyo, who is Black, reported the abuse to referee Anthony Taylor in the first half with the score at 0-0. Play was briefly stopped while Taylor spoke to both coaches and team captains.

“Merseyside Police will not tolerate hate crime of any form,” said Chief Inspector Kev Chatterton, the match commander.

The fan’s identity was confirmed and he was removed from the stadium, police added.

“We take incidents like this very seriously, and in cases like this we will be proactively seeking fo

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