Antoine Semenyo says ‘football showed its best side’ in response to racist abuse

The incident comes just days after Mathys Tel received online abuse following his penalty miss in Tottenham’s Super Cup defeat by Paris St-Germain.

Last month England defender Jess Carter revealed she had been the target of racist abuse during Euro 2025.

In response, the Lionesses stopped the anti-racism gesture of taking the knee before matches as they argued it was “clear we and football need to find another way to tackle racism”.

The Premier League has confirmed all players will be asked to take the knee before two games in October to highlight their anti-discrimination commitments.

On Tuesday, Carter said she feared her England team-mate Lauren James would suffer “astronomical” racist abuse if she had been the only player to have missed a penalty in their Euros quarter-final shootout win against Sweden.

Former Lionesses defender Alex Scott said she was not shocked by the news of Semenyo’s abuse.

“If you look over the course of the summer – Jess Carter, Lauren James. The Lionesses refuse to take the knee as it doesn’t mean anything,” she told Football Focus.

“Look at the [Tottenham] game midweek. Racial slurs happening. The abuse players are getting and the first [Premier League] game of the season it happens again. Are we shocked?

“It is frustrating I have to sit in this chair and talk about it. No doubt coming off this show I will get racially abused because I am speaking about it, once again.”

Speaking on Football Focus, former England striker Dion Dublin said: “How long has it been going on for? It is too long. If I could swear right now – I would.

“It is just wrong. For the players to go on the pitch thinking this could happen. It is so annoying that nothing has been done.

“I don’t want football to keep getting the blame for this. This is society. We have got it wrong somewhere.”