A Spanish court ruled on Thursday that ex-Barcelona star Dani Alves was found guilty of sexually assaulting a young woman in a Barcelona nightclub.
The three-judge panel sentenced Alves to four years and six months in prison.
During a three-day trial this month, 40-year-old Alves denied any wrongdoing.
The decision is subject to appeal. The court concluded that Alves sexually assaulted his victim in the early morning hours of December 31, 2022, when she alleged he raped her in a bathroom of a high-end Barcelona nightclub.
Read Also: Napoli vs Barcelona 1-1 Highlights | Champions League
State prosecutors had sought a nine-year prison sentence for Alves while the lawyers representing his accuser wanted 12 years.
His defense asked for his acquittal, or if found guilty a one-year sentence plus 50,000 euros ($54,000) compensation for the victim.
Alves has been in jail since being detained on Jan. 20, 2023.
His requests for bail were denied because the court considered him a flight risk. Brazil does not extradite its own citizens when they are sentenced in other countries.
“We are satisfied as the sentence recognises what we’ve been saying all along: that the victim was telling the truth and that she suffered,” David Saenz, a member of the victim’s legal team, told reporters,
adding that the team would analyse whether the sentence corresponds to the gravity of the crime.
Alves’ lawyer, Inés Guardiola, disagreed with the sentencing, saying: “We are going to appeal.
I still believe in Dani Alves’ innocence. We haven’t read the whole sentence yet because it’s very long, but we are going to study it in detail now. We defend [Alves’] innocence.”
