La Liga wants Espanyol partial stadium closure for Inaki Williams incident

La Liga wants the Spanish Football Association to punish Espanyol with a partial stadium closure after Athletic Bilbao forward Inaki Williams said he was racially abused at their ground.

The incident happened in Athletic's 1-1 draw at Espanyol on Saturday.

La Liga is attempting to identify the fans involved and bring criminal charges of hate crimes against them.

It is also working on plans to allow players to report abusive chants to a referee, who can then take action.

Espanyol said they were investigating "incidents of a racist nature uttered by a few against Inaki Williams".

In a statement, the Barcelona-based club said: "Espanyol strongly and explicitly condemns any sign of racism on soccer fields."

It has been reported that Williams told Athletic captain Iker Muniain about the abuse, who then informed referee Jose Sanchez Martinez.

"No black player or any player ever wants to hear that," Williams told the Athletic Bilbao website after the game.

"It's completely out of order, people should go to matches to enjoy themselves, to support their team; football is a team sport and should be played in a friendly atmosphere.

"It's a sad day because of these incidents which have no place in football."