CNN —Former Barcelona and Brazil soccer player Dani Alves was found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in a Barcelona nightclub and sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison, a Barcelona court ruled Thursday.
The Barcelona provincial court, where the trial was held earlier this month, said there was proof that the assault was not consensual, the court press office said in a statement Thursday.
Alves, 40, was arrested in January 2023, following the events at a Barcelona nightclub in late December 2022, and he has been held in prison pre-trial since then.
A lawyer for Alves, Inés Guardiola, told reporters outside of the courthouse that the former Barça star will appeal the ruling.
Alves is one of the most decorated soccer players of his generation, having won domestic titles in Spain, Italy and France.
Persons:
Dani Alves, Alves, Inés Guardiola
Organizations:
CNN, Barcelona provincial
Locations:
Barcelona, Brazil, Spain, Italy, France