Racist fan faces up to two years in prison for Inaki Williams attack

In a landmark case for Spain and LaLiga, a fan accused of directing racist remarks towards Athletic Bilbao’s Ghanaian forward Inaki Williams is set to face trial for his alleged crimes. 

The incident occurred in Bilbao’s match away to Espanyol on the 25th of January, and now Spanish Authorities say they have identified one of the culprits and plan to bring him in front of a Barcelona Provincial Court to answer for his part in the debacle. 

The unnamed fan is accused of violating the footballer’s fundamental rights and liberty, rhetoric against racism and spiritual integrity and as a result could receive up to two years in jail alongside a five-year ban from football stadiums if found guilty. 

It is the first time in Spain that official charges regarding the use of racist slurs at a football game have been brought against a fan, and it represents a positive move in La Liga’s fight to end racism. 

This comes barely a month after Real Madri’s Vinicius Jr accused La Liga and the Spanish authorities of not doing enough to combat racism. 

Vinicius was the subject of racist taunts in Real Madrid’s fixture away to Real Valladolid and took to Twitter to complain about the league’s pussyfooting their efforts to fight racism. 

With the first perpetrator in La Liga history now set to face the music, one can only hope that more football hooligans who cross the line will be brought to book in similar fashion.