Inaki Williams was racially abducted by Athletic Bilbao during a game at Espanyol’s Cornella-El Prat stadium in 2020, according to a local court in Barcelona, and given a year in prison as part of a settlement.
The man, according to the prosecution, imitated Ghana international Williams with monkey gestures and sounds.
After Williams, who was born in Bilbao to Ghanaian parents who met in a refugee camp, reported alleged racist abuse toward teammate Maroan Sannadi, Athletic Bilbao temporarily suspended their La Liga game against Espanyol in February.
Since Real Madrid’s Brazilian forward Vinicius Jr. accused La Liga and Spain of racism in 2023 after being racially abused during a game at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium, racism has grown in Spanish stadiums.
Numerous fans have since received sentences for abusing Vinicius in racial relations.
Initial requests for a two-year prison term were made in the Williams case.
The defendant, who has not been named, also consented to pay a fine and consented to a five-year suspension from working in the fields of sports and education.
First-time offenders are typically suspended from prison sentences under two years for non-violent crimes, which means they are unlikely to serve jail time unless they commit additional crimes.
Source: Aljazeera
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