Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo has once again been subjected to racist abuse on social media, publicly exposing the vile message on Instagram in the aftermath of City’s commanding 3-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, a win that significantly revived the club’s Premier League title hopes.
The 26-year-old Ghana international shared a screenshot in the stories of his official Instagram account, exposing a comment from a user identified as “@Investor_goodluck.” The message included a racial slur, a monkey emoji, and read: “By the time you sit on the bench for about 15 games, you’ll learn how to play football, black monkey.”
Semenyo did not let the incident pass without comment, captioning the screenshot with a brief but deeply weary phrase: “It’s started again” accompanied by a pensive emoji.
The latest incident represents at least the second time this season that Semenyo has been targeted with racial abuse online, months after facing a similar incident earlier in the 2025-26 campaign. It follows a pattern of abuse that has shadowed the forward throughout his career in English football.
In August 2025, while still at Bournemouth, Semenyo was racially abused by a spectator at Anfield during the opening weekend of the Premier League season. Play was stopped as referee Anthony Taylor intervened in the 29th minute, and a 47-year-old man was subsequently ejected from the ground, arrested, and banned from regulated football matches across the UK. That same evening, Semenyo also received racial abuse on Instagram, sharing some of the messages on his story with the caption: “When will it stop?”
Following that incident, Semenyo called for prison sentences to be considered as punishment for racist abuse, describing his experiences as “painful” and calling on both football and legal authorities to take stronger action.
The abuse stands in stark contrast to a remarkable run of form for Semenyo since his high-profile transfer to the Etihad. The forward joined Manchester City from Bournemouth for £64 million in January 2026 and has seamlessly integrated into Pep Guardiola’s ranks, establishing himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet alongside fellow January signing Marc Guehi, who was also on the scoresheet against Chelsea.
City’s 3-0 triumph at Stamford Bridge came after Arsenal slipped up with a 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth at the Emirates Stadium, cutting the gap at the top of the Premier League table to six points, with City holding a game in hand ahead of Sunday’s blockbuster title clash at the Etihad.
The incident renews pressure on both social media platforms and football’s governing bodies to act more decisively on online discrimination. Semenyo’s response reflects the frustration and fatigue many players experience as governing bodies and social media platforms continue to struggle to fully eradicate online racism, despite repeated high-profile awareness campaigns across the sport.
The abuse is not the first time a Manchester City player has been targeted in similar circumstances, particularly after matches involving Chelsea. In the 2018-19 season, former City winger Raheem Sterling was racially abused in a comparable incident at Stamford Bridge that also sparked a national debate about racism in football.
Manchester City, the Premier League, and Instagram had not issued statements at the time of publication. The offending account is expected to be reported to the platform for investigation and removal.