A football fan in Spain has been handed a nine-month suspended prison sentence for racially abusing Manchester United star Marcus Rashford.
Rashford sealed a loan move to Barcelona last summer after falling out of favour at United under then-manager Ruben Amorim.
He has done well in Catalonia, registering 13 goals and as many assists across all competitions. One of these assists came during the side’s win over Real Oviedo in September last year. Rashford created a goal for teammate Ronald Araujo at the Carlos Tartiere Stadium.
ESPN note that this is when the incident occurred. It was reported by La Liga at the time.
The fan, who accepted the charges in court in Oviedo on Wednesday, has been ordered to pay a fine of €900 and received a three-year stadium ban. This is in addition to the nine-month suspended prison sentence.
In Spain, prison sentences shorter than two years are commonly suspended, as long as the offender takes part in various educational programmes and abides by the terms of their sentence.
The defendant was convicted of “violating the dignity of persons on racist grounds” after hurling discriminatory comments towards Rashford during the game.
La Liga said in a statement, “This is the 11th ruling that LaLiga has obtained in its fight against racism in sport, reaffirming its commitment and leadership against this scourge through awareness, detection and, since 2020, legal action in the courts.”
“It has thus become a pioneering institution in combating racism and hatred inside and outside stadiums, despite not actually having the authority to sanction clubs, fans, coaches or players for such conduct.”
This conviction marks the latest in a series secured by La Liga following its action against abuse aimed at the likes of Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid), Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal), and Inaki Williams (Athletic Club).
Rashford has turned out 45 times for the Blaugrana this time. Despite his contributions, the La Liga table leaders are yet to definitively indicate whether they will exercise their £26m buy option to make his signing permanent.
The England international has his heart set on remaining at Camp Nou.
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