This is the disabled Liverpool fan who was arrested for allegedly shouting racist abuse at Bournemouth player Antoine Semenyo at Anfield, we can reveal.
Wheelchair user Mark Mogan, 47, was identified by police at half time and escorted from the ground after eyewitnesses and stewards pointed him out along the touchline following the incident.
Mogan, a Liverpool season ticket holder, is single with no children and lives in a social housing bungalow in the city with his mother.
He has been in a wheelchair since being born with a medical condition and receives disability benefits.
Merseyside Police announced on Saturday that a man had been arrested in connection with the vile abuse and on Monday they confirmed he had been bailed for three months pending further investigations.
As part of his bail conditions he has been forbidden to attend any football match and must report back to police in November.
If found guilty of racism, Mogan will be banned by Liverpool for life.
The club said in a statement: ‘We are aware of an allegation of racist abuse made during our Premier League game against AFC Bournemouth.
‘We condemn racism and discrimination in all forms, it has no place in society or football.’
In the 29th minute of the match Semenyo had gone to take a throw in and TV footage appeared to show him having an exchange with a fan who was in a wheelchair in the disabled section, and who pushed himself toward the player before turning and spinning away.
The Ghanian player, who scored a brace in the game, brought the incident to the attention of match referee Anthony Taylor and the game was briefly halted while both mangers and captains were spoken to.
At half time an announcement was made to the crowd asking for no racist abuse and pictures on social media showed a man in a wheelchair being escorted along the touchline and out of the ground.
On Saturday – following the emotion-charged match which Liverpool won 4-2 and was the first competitive game since star player Diogo Jota was killed – Merseyside Police said a man had been arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated assault.
Pictures on social media show Mogan playing wheelchair basketball for a team called the Greenbank Meteors while other images show him posing with Liverpool legends Robbie Fowler and Emile Heskey.
After the game another Liverpool supporter, identified as Nick Collins and sitting nearby, posted on social media his account of what happened.
He wrote: ‘So this fella has had his season ticket for many years at Anfield. He’s passionate but often takes things way too far but it is what it is.
‘So, I guess that’s allowed his behaviour to escalate maybe in his brain. About 28 mins into the game, Semenyo goes to take a throw in.
‘He’s not a player that goads the fans and seems like a decent lad. The sort of player that people want playing for their club.
‘For reasons I’ll never know, the fella near me in Bay 7 (I’m Bay 9) decides to go over to him in his wheelchair and shouts something at Semenyo.
‘Semenyo then asks him to repeat it and he repeated it and threw his chewing gum at him.
‘Then two mins later the play is stopped. The fella next to me says he hopes Mark hasn’t said anything racist to Semenyo but then I’m getting texts from people saying it’s about the fan in the wheelchair allegedly abusing Semenyo.
‘We missed the first goal because all of us were uncomfortable being around this guy, who’s now sat in silence.
‘It was just uncomfortable to be around, and we wanted him gone. The stewards didn’t have a clue what was going on either. He was eventually removed from the ground at 9.01pm by police.
‘Firstly saying he’d refuse to move and wouldn’t leave but then agreeing to leave, then kicking off. I’d gone to the toilet by this point but saw him kicking off near the exit.
‘I believe there is some kind of protocol where the police have to remove them and not stewards, and they have to get a sort of investigation going first. That’s why it took them 30 mins to get him out of the ground.
‘So the club now have to help the police with an investigation and rightly so. If he’s found to have racially abused Semenyo, he needs to be banned for life. No excuses.
‘Another fan chimed in saying “Semenyo didn’t look upset” so sort of sticking up for the abuser or playing devil’s advocate.
‘But he just looked shocked to me, which is probably why he asked him to repeat himself. So props to Semenyo for having the brilliant game he had.
‘All three goal scorers were black, which was quite fitting really. The irony is, the fella had a “no room for racism” badge on his shirt.
‘I think at the time, it was annoying that we had to be around him but I think the club acted as fast as they could. I believe stewards can eject fans if they personally hear abuse but otherwise a report needs to be made for it to happen.
‘On the flip side of this, look at the amount of disability abuse there is in response to this.
‘Discrimination is discrimination, so if you’re making your “edgy jokes” about disability on the back of it, you’re just as bad.
‘The head steward asked us all a few questions, and everyone was helpful. Proud of the way the club acted in response. Anfield is a very welcoming place to people from all walks of life. Let’s keep it that way.’
In a statement Merseyside Police said: ‘We can confirm that a man has been conditionally bailed after he was arrested following reports that racist abuse was directed towards Bournemouth player Antoine Semenyo.
‘A 47-year-old man from Liverpool was arrested on Saturday August 16 on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence. He has now been bailed with conditions, which includes not to attend any regulated football match in the UK and not to go within one mile of a designated football stadium.
‘An investigation into the incident, which occurred during a Premier League match between Liverpool and Bournemouth at Anfield on Friday August 15, remains ongoing and we continue to work closely with the club.’
In a statement the Liverpool Disabled Supporters Association told the Daily Mail it would not comment during a live police investigation but added: ‘We are aware of an allegation of racist abuse made during our Premier League game against AFC Bournemouth.
‘We condemn racism and discrimination in all forms, it has no place in society or football.’
