LIVERPOOL HAVE BECOME involved in a fresh racism-related argument after Oldham defender Tom Adeyemi claimed he was racially abused by one of the club’s supporters.
Adeyemi appeared visibly upset ten minutes before the end of his side’s 5-1 FA Cup loss at Anfield, with reasons for his dismay subsequently becoming clear.
The player, who is on loan from Norwich City, gave a statement to the police prior to leaving the stadium last night.
While Merseyside police said that no arrests had been made in relation to the incident, they confirmed they would be investigating the matter “to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident to ascertain if any action needs to be taken”.
Meanwhile, The Mirror quotes one eyewitness as saying:
“I was standing to the right of the Kop End, and the number 11 (Adeyemi) turned to walk away after a tackle. I heard a single voice behind me shout ‘You f***ing black b***ard.’“He spun round with shock on his face and started pointing at the crowd, from where the shout had come.”
However, according to the same paper, another eyewitness on Twitter claims that the player was called a “Manc b***ard”.
Adeyemi refused to comment on the incident, but Oldham manager Paul Dickov told reporters:
“From my point of view I have not spoken to Tom but something has been said. He is a placid boy and well-educated lad with a fantastic temperament. He never raises his voice so for him to react like that, something has been said but what that is I don’t know. I have not heard. I’ve just been told the police are investigating it.”
The allegation could not have come at a worse time for Liverpool, given that their star striker Luis Suarez was recently found guilty of racially abusing Patrice Evra and received an eight-game ban as a result.
