A man has been charged with the alleged racial abuse of Bournemouth player Antoine Semenyo during the club’s season opener against Liverpool at Anfield.
Mark Mogan, 47, was charged with a Racially Aggravated Section 5 Public Order offence, police announced today.
The match, which took place on Friday, August 15 and ended in a 4-2 victory for Liverpool, was stopped for several minutes, and a man was escorted out of the stadium after Semenyo reported the alleged incident to referee Anthony Taylor while preparing to take a throw-in near the Main Stand.
(Image: 2025 Liverpool FC)
A statement from Merseyside Police said: “We can confirm that a Liverpool man has been charged in connection with an incident during a Liverpool FC match at Anfield in August.
“Mark Mogan, 47, of Templehill Close, Dovecot, has been charged with Racially Aggravated Section 5 Public Order against AFC Bournemouth player Antoine Semenyo, during the Premier League match on Saturday 16 August (sic).
“Mogan has been conditionally bailed and will next appear at Liverpool Magistrates Court on Monday 22 December.”
An arrest was made on August 18 in connection to the alleged incident and a man was banned from every stadium in the country.
(Image: Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth, AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)
Semenyo scored twice in the defeat, and the following day took to social media to address the game. “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,” he said.
“To my @afcb team-mates 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. 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 team-mates, 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.”