Soccer-Spanish court hands man one-year jail sentence for racially abusing Athletic Bilbao's Williams

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Europa League - Quarter Final - First Leg - Rangers v Athletic Bilbao - Ibrox, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain - April 10, 2025 Athletic Bilbao's Inaki Williams reacts Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith/ File Photo

MADRID (Reuters) -A man was sentenced to one year in prison in a court settlement on Wednesday 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.

The incident, in which prosecutors said the man imitated monkey noises and gestures aimed at Williams, marked the first case of racial abuse in soccer to reach Spanish courts.