Racism Row – Official Statement From Liverpool FC

Liverpool FC have tonight released at official statement in response to the latest racism row involving the club, concerning an alleged incident during the final stages of the Reds 5-1 victory over Oldham on Friday night.

Oldham youngster Tom Adeyemi was visibly angry and upset by alleged racist abuse aimed at him from a Liverpool fan seated in the kop, and a 20-year-old man has since been arrested by local police.

Liverpool have released the following statement in response to this incident:

“The Club has worked actively to combat discrimination and has been at the forefront of social inclusion and community activity in football, winning awards and commendations for its work throughout the world. And this Club is determined to continue its part in working with the game’s ruling bodies and the other organisations active in this area.

Whatever the outcome of what is now a police investigation, all of us are deeply sorry for what happened on Friday night and our players and our Club pass on our sincere regrets to Tom Adeyemi for the upset and distress he suffered as a result of the matter at hand.

Our supporters are renowned throughout the world for their outstanding commitment, passion and fairness. They are drawn from nationalities across the globe with widely diverse backgrounds and heritages. The actions of any one individual do not represent our fans. Their stance on these issues is just as resolute as the Club’s. We have a very clearly stated public stance on discrimination and intolerance with dedicated staff that work hard daily on programs in this important area.

Regarding the incident that occurred on Friday evening, we have given Merseyside police every possible assistance we can and will continue to provide the necessary support to their investigation in order to ensure this particular incident is dealt with properly. We will continue to take the strongest possible action(s) against unacceptable behaviour during our matches.”