Former FC Barcelona star Dani Alves has been handed a four-year and six-month jail sentence for sexual assault following a trial in Spain, reported by GOAL. The 40-year-old, who had denied any wrongdoing and will appeal the verdict, was found guilty of raping a woman in a nightclub in December 2002.

The court's decision comes after a three-day trial, during which Alves changed his testimony multiple times. Initially denying knowing his accuser, he later claimed nothing had happened before stating they had consensual sex, asserting, “We were both enjoying ourselves.” The victim, on the other hand, testified that she willingly entered a VIP bathroom with Alves, but he prevented her from leaving, slapped her, and then sexually assaulted her.

Prosecutors had sought a nine-year jail term for Alves, who has been in detention since his arrest in January 2023. Alongside the jail sentence, Alves is ordered to pay €150,000 (£128,500/$162,990) to the victim. Furthermore, he faces an additional five years of supervised freedom upon release, during which he is prohibited from going within one kilometer of the victim and cannot communicate with her for nine years.

Despite the verdict, Former FC Barcelona star Dani Alves maintains his innocence and plans to appeal the sentence. His lawyer, Inés Guardiola, expressed their intention to challenge the decision, stating, “At this moment, I can only tell you that we are going to appeal the sentence. I continue to believe in the innocence of Mr. Alves. I have to study the sentence, but I can tell you that we are going to appeal.”