A fan of Spanish club Espanyol has accepted a one-year prison sentence, but will not serve any jail time, for racially abusing Athletic Bilbao forward Inaki Williams during a La Liga match in January 2020. The incident involved monkey noises and offensive gestures directed at Williams after he was substituted in the match, which ended in a 1-1 draw at Espanyol’s home stadium in Barcelona.
The fan, whose identity has not been publicly disclosed, reached a deal with the court in Barcelona that also includes a three-year ban from attending football matches and a fine of over 1,000 euros (approximately $1,165). Initially, prosecutors had sought a two-year prison term for the individual.
According to reports, multiple fans were involved in the racist abuse, but only one was sufficiently identified to face trial. At the time, Espanyol announced they had identified 12 individuals involved in the incident and had taken disciplinary measures against them.
Video footage showed Williams confronting the section of Espanyol supporters responsible for the taunts, highlighting the seriousness of the abuse on display. The Spanish league also played an active role in pursuing action against the offender.
Other racial abuse incidents in Spain
This case is part of a broader crackdown in Spanish football on racism. In May, five Valladolid fans were convicted for racially abusing Real Madrid forward Vinicius Júnior in 2022, the first ruling in Spain to classify such behaviour as a hate crime within a football stadium.
In a separate case last year, three Valencia supporters were sentenced to eight months in prison after pleading guilty to racially abusing Vinicius, marking Spain’s first conviction for racism in professional football not linked to hate crime legislation.
In the last few years, racism has been a massive issue in Spanish football. Earlier this year, a match between Athletic Bilbao and Espanyol was briefly halted due to racist chants aimed at Williams’ teammate Maroan Sannadi. Williams himself has frequently spoken out about such abuse, including targeting his younger brother, Spain international Nico Williams, who experienced similar racist insults during a game against Atletico Madrid.
