Fan who racially insulted Inaki Williams, avoids the prison time

An Espanyol fan accused of racially insulting athletic Bilbao Vooruit Inaki Williams during a La Liga match five years ago, a deal accepted to prevent prison time on Wednesday.

A Spanish court in Barcelona said that the fan, who was not mentioned, accepted a one -year prison sentence, but will not prison as part of the deal. He also accepted a three -year ban from football stadiums and to pay a fine of more than 1,000 euros (USD 1,165).

Prosecutors were looking for a two-year prison sentence for the fan, who made monkey sounds and gestures to Williams after being replaced in Espanyol in Barcelona in January 2020 in Athletic’s 1-1. The Spanish competition also joined the fan against the fan.

More than one fan insulted Williams, who is black, while the player ran behind the goal in front of the stands after he had been replaced late in the game. Only one fan can be fully identified by the authorities to end up.

Espanyol said at the time that it identified 12 fans who racially insulted Williams and took action against them.

Television images showed that Williams confronted the part of Espanyol fans who taunted him after he had been replaced.

Other cases of racism in La Liga

In May, five Valladolid fans who racially insulted Real Madrid attacker Vinicius Junior in 2022 were found guilty in the first statement in Spain who condemned racist insults in a football stadium as a hate crime.

Last year, three Valencia fans received eight months in prison after being guilty of racial insulting Vinicius in what the first conviction was for racism-related matters not based on a hate crime-in professional football in Spain.

Read also | Juventus condemns racist abuse of Weston McKennie after season opening victory against Parma

Earlier this year, the Athletic competition match in Espanyol was briefly interrupted due to the racist songs of fans. The referee activated the anti-racism protocol and stopped the match in Barcelona for about 20 minutes in the first half. Williams then criticized the songs and said they were the target of his teammate Maroan Sannadi.

Spain Vooruit Nico Williams, the younger brother of Inaki Williams, said last year that he was the target of «Monkey» while taking a corner in the first half of a match in Madrid to Atletico Madrid.

Published on 03 September 2025