Semenyo 'was racially abused by wheelchair-using Liverpool fan who also threw chewing gum at him'

Footballer Antoine Semenyo 'froze' after he was racially abused by a Liverpool fan before the man then threw chewing gum at him, a court has heard.

Semenyo, who was playing for Bournemouth at the time, was allegedly racially abused by Mark Mogan, 47, as he went to take a throw-in 30 minutes into the opening match of the Premier League season at Anfield on August 15 last year.

Simon Jones, prosecuting, told Liverpool Magistrates' Court on Wednesday that the footballer saw Mogan, a wheelchair-user, to the right of him and heard him shout: 'Hurry up and take the throw-in, you black b******.'

He said: 'That racial abuse was shouted directly at Antoine Semenyo, who was close to him.

'Mr Semenyo briefly froze as he couldn't believe what the male had said.'

Mogan then shouted 'I'm talking to you, you c***', the court heard.

Mr Jones said: 'He looked straight at Antoine Semenyo when directing this abuse to him.

'Antoine Semenyo didn't say anything back to him and went to take the throw-in, however he was clearly hurt and upset with the racial abuse that had come his way.'

The footballer, who now plays for Manchester City, reported the incident to match referee Anthony Taylor when the ball next went out of play and Mogan was removed from the stadium at half time, the court was told.

Two short video clips of the incident were shown to the court, in which Mr Jones said the defendant could be seen in an 'agitated and angry state'.

He said witnesses saw Mogan take chewing gum from his mouth and throw it at Semenyo, striking him on the right side of his shorts.

Mr Jones said: 'We say that was plainly an unsavoury action from an angry man.'

In a statement read to the court, fellow Liverpool fan Neil Sherratt said he saw Mogan, who sits next to him at matches, leave his bay in the disabled section of the Main Stand and approach the pitch as Semenyo came to take the throw in.

He said he heard Mogan shout something along the lines of 'hurry up' and saw Semenyo turn towards him.

He said: 'Semenyo had a shocked look on his face and I believe he has replied back by saying "you what?"'

Another fan, Nicholas Collins, said after the incident Mogan became 'very cocky and brazen' and said: 'If the bizzies (police) come I'm going to deck them. I'm not going anywhere.'

Mogan, who had an intermediary with him in court, was interviewed by police the following day and told officers he had shouted at Semenyo to 'hurry up'.

'His account was that Antoine Semenyo called him a cripple which upset him,' Mr Jones said.

'He said he then threw some chewing gum onto the floor but not at Antoine Semenyo.

'The prosecution say Mr Mogan clearly lied in that police interview.'

In the aftermath of the incident, Semenyo thanked everyone for the 'overwhelming messages of support'.

He wrote in a statement on X: '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.

'To my @afcbournemouth teammates 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 teammates, 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.'

Semenyo had been expected to give evidence over a videolink on Wednesday afternoon, having had a work commitment which prevented him from appearing in the morning.

But Mogan, who the court previously heard has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, suffered a seizure during the lunch break and was taken to hospital by ambulance.

An application to proceed with the trial in his absence was refused by District Judge Mary Dowrick. The trial is expected to continue at a later date.

Mogan, of Dovecot, Liverpool, denies racially aggravated behaviour.