A court in Spain has found former Barcelona and Brazil footballer Dani Alves guilty of raping a woman in a Barcelona nightclub. He has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison. The 40-year-old, who is one of the most decorated footballers in history, had denied sexually assaulting the woman in the early hours of 31 December 2022.

Former Barcelona and Brazilian soccer player Dani Alves was found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in a Spain night club and was sentenced to four-and-a-half-years in prison. Alves, who has been imprisoned since January 2023, was convicted of sexually assaulting a woman in the bathroom of a Barcelona nightclub on Dec. 31, 2022.

A Spanish court has ruled that ex-Barcelona and Brazil footballer Dani Alves can be conditionally released from jail after serving about a quarter of his sentence for rape. Alves, who was sentenced to four and a half years in prison last month, will be released on a €1m (£853,000) bail. He had been held in pre-trial detention since January 2023.