Manchester City Condemns Racist Abuse Targeting Semenyo And Guéhi

Manchester City has strongly condemned incidents of racist abuse directed at Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guéhi, as Everton confirmed that a supporter has been arrested following Monday evening’s Premier League clash between the two sides.

The alleged incident involving Semenyo occurred during the 3-3 draw at Hill Dickinson Stadium, prompting swift action from stewards, fellow supporters and Merseyside Police. Everton released a detailed statement confirming that a 71-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence.

“Merseyside Police arrested a 71-year-old man on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence after supporters and stewards reported the incident,” Everton said. The individual has since been bailed with conditions, including restrictions preventing him from going within one mile of any designated sports stadium in the hours surrounding matches.

Everton reiterated its zero-tolerance stance, adding: “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.” The club also praised the “swift response” that led to the individual being identified and confirmed it will continue working closely with authorities while taking the strongest possible internal action.

Manchester City welcomed the rapid response from Everton and the police, while condemning the abuse directed at Semenyo during the match.

In a separate development, England international Marc Guéhi was subjected to a series of racist messages on social media later that evening, drawing further condemnation from City.

Support has also come from the England national team, which issued a statement on X calling for accountability and stronger action against such behaviour.

“This type of behaviour is completely unacceptable and must have consequences,” the statement read. “We stand with both Marc and his Manchester City team-mate Antoine, and support strong action by the authorities and social media companies.”

Manchester City reiterated its support for both players, stating: “We will continue to offer our full support to both Antoine and Marc and never accept discrimination of any kind in our game.”

The incidents have once again highlighted the ongoing challenge of tackling racism in football, both inside stadiums and across digital platforms, with clubs, authorities and governing bodies under increasing pressure to enforce meaningful consequences.
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