Williams reported the abuse to his captain Iker Muniain who then informed the referee Jose Sanchez Martinez. The official however made no reference to the incident in his post-match report.
“It’s something that’s totally out of order. People have to come to the stadium to have fun, to support their team, to enjoy football.
“It’s a sport of friendship, of being a team. Honestly, it was a bit of a sad day because of what I said. These things shouldn’t happen. They’re totally out of order.”
Williams is one of Athletic’s best players and in August 2019, the 25-year-old was rewarded with a nine-year contract at the Basque club.
But it’s not the first time Williams has been subjected to racist abuse.
In 2016, in the opening game of the season against Sporting Gijon, he was subjected to racist chanting from fans which led to the referee temporarily halting the game and Sporting having to close a section of their ground for one game.
The game with Espanyol was the 140th consecutive league match Williams has featured in for his club — a club record.
Espanyol’s Raul de Thomas saved a point for the Catalan side, canceling out Athletic’s goal through Asier Villalibre.
