Antoine Semenyo speaks out on Anfield racism incident and calls for tough punishments

Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo has suggested that fans who target racist abuse at players should face jail time with the current punishments not deterring individuals.

Last Friday at Liverpool the Cherries were beaten 4-2, but the game was overshadowed by a racist incident that had brought the contest to a halt. Semenyo informed referee Anthony Taylor that he was targeted by a spectator and he then explained the allegations to head coaches and club captains, in accordance with league protocol.

Merseyside police arrested a 47-year-old man from Liverpool on Saturday on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence, but the Bournemouth star doesn't feel enough is being done.

He told ITV: "I feel like the punishment isn't enough when things like this happen. I feel like people do get away with it."

Semenyo was quizzed on what punishment he would advise and didn't hold back with his view. He added: "It could be jail time, it could be banned from stadiums for a lifetime, it could be anything along the lines of that, but I feel like there has to be something else."

READ MORE: Man arrested over alleged Antoine Semenyo racist abuse banned from every football stadium

READ MORE: Antoine Semenyo suffers racist abuse for second time after Liverpool incident

The Bournemouth star would be spurred on by his frustration and would score a brace inside 12 minutes to bring the Cherries back level. His second goal a magnificent solo effort that saw him run the majority of the pitch before finishing.

“I went in at half-time and was pretty angry, to be honest," Semenyo revealed. “I got to the realisation of what actually happened. I used it as fuel, I used it as motivation and those two goals you could say came from that."

Premier League chief Richard Masters has claimed that progress has been made in combating racism and the Bournemouth ace insists he won't let the abuse get him down.

"I feel like I'm mentally really tough and you know, you never want to see these things happen to you," he said. "But at the same time it's not going to stop me for what I've worked for all my life, to be a footballer and enjoy it."

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