Semenho revealed that he was racist from an audience in the first round of the Premier League team losing to Liverpool 2-4. On-duty referee Anthony Taylor briefly interrupted the game and explained the relevant charges to the coach and captain of both sides.
The 25-year-old Ghana international said in an interview with ITV News that authorities must do more. Merseyside police arrested a 47-year-old Liverpool local man on suspicion of racial discrimination in public order. The man has appeared in court and is banned from entering all football stadiums in the UK under bail conditions.
When asked about the highest sentencing standards for racial discrimination, Semenho said: "It could be imprisonment, life ban on entry to the stadium, or any similar level of punishment. But I think more severe measures must be taken."
After reporting to the referee that he suffered discrimination, Semenho scored twice in the second half against Liverpool. He said that the players could not understand why racism at the stadium was so frequent and emphasized that "we want to know why such incidents continue to happen."
The Ghana international also revealed that as soon as the Anfield game ended, he immediately encountered racial discrimination on the Internet: "To be honest, this angered me. Why would anyone do this on the Internet specifically?"
When asked whether the exposure of this incident would deter other racist fans, he said: "I hope so, but if it fails to work, it means that the current measures in the Premier League are not enough and more actions must be taken."
On the day after Semenho reported the Anfield discrimination incident, Premier League CEO Richard Masters told BBC Sports that the authorities will continue to do their best to eliminate racism in football. Masters stressed: "Anyone who uses discriminatory language in the football field will be expelled, secondly, faces a ban on watching the game, and thirdly, may be criminally prosecuted. No Premier League player should suffer such discrimination in the workplace or in the online environment, and it is crucial to continue to emphasize this."