A Spanish court has sentenced a Granada supporter who racially abused former Cádiz defender Carlos Akapo at a LaLiga match three years ago to one year in prison.
According to ESPN, the supporter was also given a 14-month stadium ban by the Granada court.
A defendant without prior convictions is rarely required to serve jail time in Spain for penalties under two years for non-physically violent offenses, thus unless he commits other crimes, he is likely to stay out of jail.
At the Nuevo Los Carmenes stadium in February 2022, Akapo was mistreated during Cádiz’s goalless league draw with Granada.
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The Equatorial Guinea international was playing for Cádiz when the fan was seen on tape making monkey signals at him.
LaLiga, who at the time reported the event to the authorities, applauded the long-awaited decision.
“LALIGA has received notification of the sentence against the fan who hurled racist insults at player Carlos Akapo during the Granada v Cádiz CF on Feb. 28, 2022,” LaLiga wrote on X.
“The sentence condemns the accused to one year in prison and a 14-month ban from stadiums. This closes one of the oldest cases of racist incidents that LALIGA is fighting to eradicate hatred in football.”
Akapo, who is currently a player of Amazonas FC in Brazil, praised the decision on Instagram, and Cádiz welcomed the judgement.
“Cádiz CF is pleased with this news and will continue to ensure the safety and integrity of its members both on and off the playing fields, defending the values of integrity and equality that must prevail in today’s society,” a club statement said.
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