Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo has demanded prison sentences and permanent stadium exclusions for those guilty of racist abuse in football.
The 25-year-old striker made these comments in his first interview since experiencing racial abuse from a spectator during last Friday's Premier League opener at Anfield.
The Ghana international, who netted twice in Bournemouth's 4-2 loss to Liverpool, was also subjected to racist messages on social media following the match.
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Antoine Semenyo said people guilty of racist abuse should be imprisoned
|ITV
Speaking to ITV News, Semenyo insisted current measures are insufficient.
"Whatever the Premier League are doing, it's not enough and there's more that needs to be done," he stated.
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When pressed about appropriate penalties for such incidents, Semenyo suggested harsh measures.
He said: "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."
The incident occurred during the opening match of the Premier League season when Semenyo was preparing for a throw-in.
He alerted referee Anthony Taylor to alleged racial abuse from a spectator near the touchline.
Taylor halted play and followed league protocols by informing both managers and team captains about the allegations before resuming the match.
Merseyside police subsequently detained a 47-year-old Liverpool resident on Saturday.
The suspect was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence.
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Antoine Semenyo issued a plea online after he received a comment with monkey emojis | InstagramHe has since been released on bail with conditions prohibiting him from attending any regulated football matches across the UK.
Semenyo revealed he received further abuse on social media, saying: "I feel like in this day and age it just doesn't make sense and we want to know why it keeps happening. It was pretty painful to hear.
"I got back on the coach and I was just going through my messages.
"I wanted to reply back to family and friends, to be honest, and then it obviously popped across the screen on Instagram, I was getting racially abused as well.
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Despite the alleged abuse, Antoine Semenyo retaliated by equalising for Bournemouth by bagging two brilliant goals
| PA"Someone has felt the need to come online and do that, so that made me angry, to be honest. Why would you want to do that?"
The winger, who has featured in over 80 matches since joining Bournemouth in 2023, remains resolute about his future.
"I feel like I'm mentally really tough and you know, you never want to see these things happen to you," he explained to ITV News.
"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."