Adeyemi reacts with disgust after alleged abuse was directed at him A 20-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence after Oldham Tom Adeyemi was allegedly abused by fans during an FA Cup game against Liverpool .
The Merseyside club were left reeling following allegations that one or more supporters on The Kop had reduced 20-year-old Adeyemi to tears by calling him a ‘black b******’ and a ‘black c***’.
Fans were also heard to chant the name of Luis Suarez, banned for eight games for racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra at Anfield earlier this season, as a distraught Adeyemi tried to cope in the aftermath of the alleged abuse.
Prior to the arrest, a Liverpool statement said: ‘We take this matter extremely seriously and have provided Merseyside Police with the evidence we currently have available to us.
‘This includes CCTV coverage and still photography of what we believe to be the relevant part of the stadium, statements from stewards in that area and full access to all our TV footage.’ The club are also examining ticket records and have urged any supporters who witnessed the incident to contact them or the police.
A senior source at the club said: ‘We will do whatever we can to help the police.
‘We don’t want to prejudge anything but if there is a case where it is proven racial abuse was shouted at an opposition player, the perpetrators will not be watching football at Anfield again.’
Because the incident happened in an FA Cup tie, it is possible that those responsible were not Liverpool season-ticket holders, who are entitled to use their tickets only for Premier League games.
Oldham director Barry Owen said: ‘People in the Liverpool boardroom were very concerned when they heard what had happened. They could not have done more to help.
‘Tom spoke to the police after the game and made a complaint. I and manager Paul Dickov spoke to Tom on Saturday to check he’s OK and he knows we’re here if he needs us.’
Shocked neighbours of Adeyemi’s family expressed their disgust at the abuse suffered by the young player, who is on loan at Oldham from Norwich.
His parents, Elijah and Toni, who run healthcare companies in the Norwich area, were believed to have been at Anfield and witnessed the abuse of their son, who turned down an unconditional place at Cambridge University to pursue his football career.
Neighbour Annabelle Gooch said: ‘They are lovely people and Tom is an extremely intelligent young man.’
Her husband, Edward, 73, added: ‘Tom wants to be a doctor after his football career. I cannot believe what was said.’