A high-profile racial abuse trial has begun at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court, where prosecutors have laid out claims that a Liverpool fan hurled a racist slur at professional footballer Antoine Semenyo during an August 2025 Premier League match at Anfield.
At the time of the alleged incident, Semenyo – who now plies his trade as a winger for Manchester City – was competing for Bournemouth in the opening fixture of the 2025-26 top-flight season. The 47-year-old defendant, Mark Mogan, a wheelchair-using resident of Dovecot, Liverpool, has entered a plea of not guilty to a charge of racially aggravated behaviour.
Prosecutor Simon Jones told the court the confrontation unfolded roughly 30 minutes into the match, when Semenyo was positioned to take a throw-in near the side of the pitch. Jones said: “Mr Semenyo briefly froze as he couldn’t believe what the male had said.” Prosecutors confirmed the player was left visibly distressed by the interaction, and waited until the next stoppage of play to report the abuse to match referee Anthony Taylor. The court also heard that after the initial slur, Mogan shouted additional abusive language toward Semenyo, who chose not to respond verbally and completed the throw-in as planned.
Two short surveillance clips of the incident were played for the court during opening arguments. Jones described Mogan as appearing visibly agitated and angry throughout the sequence. Witness testimony has corroborated further aggressive actions: multiple attendees told police Mogan threw chewing gum that struck the right side of Semenyo’s shorts before he was escorted out of the stadium by security at half-time.
Neil Sherratt, a Liverpool fan who sits adjacent to Mogan in the Main Stand’s disabled section, told the court he saw Mogan move close to the pitch barrier before shouting. Sherratt testified he heard Mogan yell a phrase urging Semenyo to hurry, and saw the footballer turn toward the stand with a stunned expression, responding with “you what”. A second witness, Liverpool supporter Nicholas Collins, told the court Mogan grew openly boastful and unapologetic after the incident, even threatening to attack any police officers who approached him.
During a police interview the day after the match, Mogan offered a competing version of events. He admitted shouting at Semenyo to hurry up, but claimed the footballer had first insulted him with a derogatory term for disabled people, which left him upset. Mogan also refuted the claim he threw chewing gum at the player, saying he only discarded it on the ground. He was accompanied by a court-appointed intermediary throughout the trial proceedings to support his access needs.
Prosecutor Jones argued that Mogan’s account to police was untruthful, and that the weight of witness evidence confirms the alleged racial abuse took place. Semenyo, who was born in London to Ghanaian parents and has represented Ghana at the World Cup, is scheduled to give evidence to the court via video link in upcoming sessions. The trial remains ongoing as the court hears further testimony and evidence.