A Barcelona court has sentenced an Espanyol fan to one year in prison for racially abusing Athletic Bilbao forward Inaki Williams during a match back in 2020, Afrosport reports.
According to prosecutors, the man imitated monkey gestures and sounds towards Ghanaian forward Williams, and was the first case of racist abuse to be tried in a Spanish court.
Prison sentences under two years for non-violent crimes in Spain are usually suspended for first-time offenders, hence the defendant will not serve jail time unless further offences are committed.
Prosecutors were initially seeking a two-year prison term, however the defendant has agreed to pay a fine and also accepted a three-year ban from going to any football stadiums as well as a five-year ban from working in any sports-related professions.
Williams reported alleged racist abuse towards teammate Maroan Sannadi during a match against Espanyol last season which forced the game to be temporarily suspended.
Racism in Spanish football has drawn global attention since Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr accused La Liga of enabling it in 2023 when he was abused during a match at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium.
