A football supporter in Spain has been handed a nine-month suspended prison sentence for racially abusing Marcus Rashford during Barcelona's win at Real Oviedo last year.
The fan, who accepted the charges in court in Oviedo on Wednesday, has also been ordered to pay a fine of €900 ($1,000) and handed a three-year stadium ban.
The incident occurred during the LaLiga fixture between Barça and Oviedo at the Carlos Tartiere Stadium on Sept. 25 -- when Rashford was a starter as the LaLiga leaders ran out 3-1 winners -- and was reported by LaLiga at the time.
According to Wednesday's ruling, the defendant was convicted "of violating the dignity of persons on racist grounds" after shouting discriminatory comments at the England international during the match.
The prosecution agreed that the prison sentence could be suspended -- as is common for sentences under two years in Spain -- as long as the offender undergoes various educational programmes and adheres to the stadium ban, among other conditions.
It is the latest in a series of convictions achieved by LaLiga in the league's fight against racism after also taking action following the abuse of Real Madrid's VinÃcius Júnior, Villarreal's Samuel Chukwueze and Athletic Club's Iñaki Williams in recent years.
"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," the league said in a statement seen by ESPN.
"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."
