A 20-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence during Liverpool's FA Cup clash with Oldham Athletic was bailed on Sunday.
Oldham player Tom Adeyemi was allegedly abused by fans at Anfield's Kop end during Friday's third-round game, which Liverpool won 5-1.
Gordon Taylor, chief executive of the Professional Footballers Association, on Sunday confirmed he had spoken to Adeyemi and said "we can confirm that he was the victim of racist abuse".
"Tom has given a full witness statement to the Merseyside police regarding the incident and will continue to assist the police fully in their enquiries," added Taylor.
Adeyemi, who is on loan from Premier League side Norwich City, seemed to be in tears, and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard moved across to the corner of the ground where the incident occurred to comfort the 20-year-old.
A Liverpool statement issued Sunday, while apologising specifically to Adeyemi, insisted those responsible for the incident were not representative of the club as a whole.
"Whatever the outcome of what is now a police investigation, all of us are deeply sorry for what happened on Friday and our players and our club pass on our sincere regrets to Tom Adeyemi for the upset and distress he suffered as a result of the matter at hand," the statement said.
"Our supporters are renowned throughout the world for their outstanding commitment, passion and fairness. They are drawn from nationalities across the globe with widely diverse backgrounds and heritages.
"The actions of any one individual do not represent our fans. Their stance on these issues is just as resolute as the club's.
"Regarding the incident that occurred on Friday evening, we have given Merseyside police every possible assistance we can and will continue to provide the necessary support to their investigation in order to ensure this particular incident is dealt with properly.
"We will continue to take the strongest possible action(s) against unacceptable behaviour during our matches."
Friday's incident came with Liverpool on the defensive over their handling of the Luis Suarez affair, with the club reacting furiously after the Uruguay striker was banned for eight games and fined £40,000 ($62,000) for racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra.
A report on The Guardian newspaper's website late on Friday cited witnesses saying Liverpool fans wearing Suarez T-shirts had racially abused Adeyemi.
Source: AFP
