The case is the latest incident of racial abuse in Spain’s top flight after numerous reports by Real Madrid’s Vinicius.
Published On 3 Sep 2025
A man was sentenced to one year in prison in a court settlement for racially abusing Athletic Bilbao forward Inaki Williams during a match at Espanyol’s Cornella-El Prat stadium in 2020, a local court in Barcelona said.
Prosecutors said the man imitated monkey noises and gestures aimed at Ghana international Williams.
In a further incident last season, Athletic Bilbao’s La Liga game at Espanyol in February was temporarily halted after Williams, who was born in Bilbao to parents from Ghana who met in a refugee camp, reported alleged racist abuse towards teammate Maroan Sannadi.
Racism in Spanish stadiums has drawn further attention since Real Madrid’s Brazilian forward Vinicius Jr accused La Liga and Spain of racism in 2023 after he was subjected to slurs during a match at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium.
Since then, several fans have been handed sentences for racially abusing Vinicius.
In the Williams case, prosecutors had initially sought a two-year prison term.
The defendant, who has not been named, also agreed to pay a fine and accepted a three-year ban from football stadiums as well as a five-year disqualification from working in education or sports-related professions.
Under Spanish law, prison sentences under two years for non-violent crimes are typically suspended for first-time offenders, meaning the defendant is unlikely to serve jail time unless further offences are committed.
Reflecting on the incident, Williams said at the time he felt saddened by the racist insults, calling them “completely out of order” and emphasizing that football is a team sport meant to be played in a friendly atmosphere.
