The Barcelona High Court has issued a new sentence against an Espanyol fan for racist insults directed at Athletic Bilbao footballer, Iñaki Williams. This is the sixth sentence of this type handed down by Spanish courts in recent months.
The events that led to this conviction occurred in January 2020 at the Cornellà-El Prat stadium. During a match, the fan was identified for making racist shouts and gestures towards the Ghanaian international player of the Bilbao team. The accused accepted a sentence of one year in prison and a two-year ban from attending football events.
Since the first criminal case opened for racist insults in Spanish football, which involved Iñaki Williams, other convictions for similar incidents have occurred.
Previous Convictions for Racism in Spanish Football
In June 2024, three fans were sentenced to eight months in prison for insults directed at Real Madrid’s Brazilian player, Vinicius Jr, during a match at Mestalla between Valencia and Real Madrid. The sentence included aggravating circumstances due to hate motives.
In July 2024, another person was sentenced to eight months in prison for insults against Vinicius and his teammate Antonio Rüdiger in the comments section of a sports newspaper. In addition, he was banned from participating in said forum for 20 months.
In September 2024, a court in Palma sentenced a man to one year in prison and a three-year ban from stadiums for racist comments in two different matches at the Son Moix Stadium (Mallorca). In one of the cases, the insults were directed at Villarreal player Samu Chukwueze, and in the other, again, against Vinicius.
This condemnation also included insults directed at Real Madrid player Aurélien Tchouameni and the throwing of water bottles at him by a minor during a match played in May 2024 at Son Moix. The minor committed to apologizing and carrying out socio-educational activities.
In May 2025, the Provincial Court of Valladolid sentenced each of the five defendants to one year in prison for insulting Vinicius Jr in a match played at the José Zorrilla Stadium in Valladolid on December 30, 2022.
Last June, four members of the ultra group Frente Atlético, responsible for hanging a doll wearing Vinicius’s jersey in January 2023, were convicted of a hate crime and another of threats. The sentences imposed ranged from 14 to 22 months in prison, but they avoided prison through agreements with the accusations and the prosecution.
Furthermore, a minor involved in racist insults towards Barcelona player Lamine Yamal in the clásico played at the Santiago Bernabéu in October 2024 accepted 30 hours of socio-educational tasks and a ban from attending official matches for one year.
