The incident is the latest incident of racial abuse on top flights in Spain, after numerous reports by Vinicius of Real Madrid.
Released on September 3, 2025
The man was sentenced to one year in a court settlement for mistreating Athletic Bilbao Forward Inaki Williams during a 2020 match at Espanyol’s Cornera El Pratt Stadium.
Prosecutors said the man mimicked the monkey noise and gestures targeting Williams Ghana International.
In further incidents last season, Athletic Bilbao’s La Liga game in Espanyol in February was temporarily suspended after Williams, born in Bilbao to Ghanaian parents whom he met in a refugee camp, reported racist abuse against his teammate Malone Sannady.
Racism in Spanish stadiums has been gaining even more attention since Real Madrid’s Brazilian forward Vinicius Jr., who accused La Liga and Spain of racism in 2023 after he was exposed to a slurred during a match at the Mestara Stadium in Valencia.
Since then, several fans have been handed over for racially abusing Vinicius.
In Williams’ case, the prosecutor initially sought a two-year sentence.
The unnamed defendant also agreed to pay the fine, accepting a three-year ban from the soccer stadium and a five-year disqualification from working in education and sports-related occupations.
Under Spanish law, sentences of less than two years for non-violent crimes are usually suspended for first-time offenders. This means that the defendant is unlikely to serve in prison unless further crimes are committed.
Looking back at the incident, Williams said he was saddened by the insults of racist people, calling it “all well on a different level,” and emphasized that football is a team sport intended to play in a friendly atmosphere.
