MADRID (AP) — An Espanyol fan accused of racially insulting Athletic Bilbao forward Iñaki Williams during a Spanish league match five years ago accepted a deal to avoid prison time on Wednesday.
A Spanish court in Barcelona said the fan, who was not named, accepted a one-year prison sentence but will not do any jail time as part of the deal. He also accepted a three-year ban from soccer stadiums, and to pay a fine of more than 1,000 euros ($1,165).
Prosecutors were seeking a two-year prison sentence for the fan, who made monkey sounds and gestures toward Williams after he was substituted in Athletic's 1-1 draw at Espanyol in Barcelona in January 2020. The Spanish league also joined the case against the fan.
More than one fan insulted Williams, who is Black, as the player walked in front of the stands behind the goal after being substituted late in the game. Only one fan could be fully identified by authorities to be taken to trial.
Espanyol said at the time that it identified 12 fans who racially insulted Williams and took action against them.
Television images showed Williams confronting the section of Espanyol fans who taunted him after he was substituted.
In May, five Valladolid fans who racially insulted Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior in 2022 were found guilty in the first ruling in Spain that condemned racist insults in a soccer stadium as a hate crime.
Last year, three Valencia fans were handed eight-month prison sentences after pleading guilty to racially insulting Vinícius in what was the first conviction for racism-related cases — not based on a hate crime — in professional soccer in Spain.
Earlier this year, Athletic's league game at Espanyol was briefly interrupted because of fans’ racist chants. The referee activated the anti-racism protocol and stopped the match in Barcelona about 20 minutes into the first half. Williams denounced the chants afterward, saying they were targeted at his teammate Maroan Sannadi.
Spain forward Nico Williams, Iñaki Williams' younger brother, said last year that he was targeted by “monkey” shouts while he took a corner kick in the first half of a match in Madrid against Atletico Madrid.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Tales Azzoni, The Associated Press
