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 Mes

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