A soccer fan who racially abused former San Jose Earthquakes defender Carlos Akapo during a Spanish league match three years ago has been given a one-year prison sentence by a Spanish court.

The supporter, who was also handed a 14-month stadium ban, was caught on camera making monkey gestures towards Akapo, who is Black, during Cádiz’s 0-0 draw at Granada, Spain in February 2022.

Akapo, who played for the Earthquakes in 2022 and now plays for Brazilian club Amazonas, applauded the news on social media. La Liga — which reported the abuse to Spanish authorities at the time — also welcomed the long-awaited verdict.

“This closes one of the oldest cases of racist incidents against which La Liga is fighting to eradicate hatred in soccer,” La Liga posted on its X account.

The fan will likely serve a suspended sentence. In Spain, defendants without previous convictions rarely spend time in jail for sentences of less than two years for a non-physically violent crime.

Men’s basketball

No. 8 Michigan State wins on halfcourt buzzer-beater >> Tre Holloman made a buzzer-beater from beyond midcourt to give No. 8 Michigan State a 58-55 win over No. 16 Maryland in a sensational finish in College Park, Md.

Holloman’s turnover in the backcourt helped the Terrapins (21-7, 11-6 Big Ten) tie the game with 42.1 seconds remaining, and after a miss by Michigan State’s Jaxon Kohler, Maryland had a chance to win it with the shot clock off. But Ja’Kobi Gillespie missed a 3-pointer, the Spartans (23-5, 14-3) rebounded and Holloman had enough time to put up a shot from a few feet behind midcourt.

The buzzer sounded as the ball was airborne and Michigan State players leaped off the bench to mob Holloman after his winning shot.

Women’s basketball

Northwestern takes forfeits for not playing in L.A. >> Northwestern will be assessed two forfeits for not playing January road games at No. 2 UCLA and No. 4 Southern California, the Big Ten announced.

Northwestern had announced Jan. 10 it would not to travel to play UCLA on Jan. 12 and USC on Jan. 15 because of concerns over wildfires in the Los Angeles area. UCLA had offered to play at an off-campus location.

Tennis

Medvedev reaches Dubai quarterfinals >> Top-seeded and sixth-ranked Daniil Medvedev withstood 143 mph serves on his way to defeating Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, 6-4, 6-4 at the Dubai Championships.

Golf

Woodland gets PGA Tour Courage Award >> Former U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland was honored with the PGA Tour Courage Award as he comes back from brain surgery to remove a lesion that was causing him to have unfounded thoughts that he was dying.

Woodland, who won the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach to go along with three other PGA Tour titles, had a hole the size of a baseball removed from his head so doctors could remove the lesion in a September 2023 surgery.