Udinese defender Danilo sentenced to one year in prison for racism

Jan 9, 2013 9:25:00 PM

The 28-year-old was found guilty of spitting in the face of Atletico Paranense's Manoel and calling him a "monkey" but is expected to have his sentence reduced to a fine on appeal

Udinese defender Danilo has been sentenced to a year in prison for racist abuse by a court in Brazil.

The centre-back was found guilty of spitting in the face of Atletico Paranese's Manoel and calling him a "monkey" while playing for Palmeiras in the Copa do Brasil in 2010.

Danilo was handed a year's custodial sentence by the 18th Criminal Court of the State of Sao Paolo, although he is expected to have the punishment reduced after appeal to a fine of around €127,000, or 500 times the state minimum wage. The player currently earns €400,000 per year.

The 28-year-old, who has made 25 appearances for Udinese this season both domestically and in Europe, joined the Serie A outfit from Palmeiras in the summer of 2011.

As Goal.com revealed exclusively last month, he was being monitored by Scudetto champions Juventus, who had considered a move for his services during the transfer window.