A Spanish court has decided to release former Brazilian football star Dani Alves if he pays a bail of €1 million.
Alves was convicted in February and sentenced to four years and six months in prison for raping a woman at a Barcelona nightclub in 2022 and has been behind bars since being arrested in January 2023.
The 40-year-old had previously requested to be let free on bail but it was denied by the court because he was deemed a flight risk.
In addition to the bail money, Alves is also required to hand over his Brazilian and Spanish passports and is prohibited from leaving Spain.
Both Alves’ lawyer and the state prosecutor have appealed the conviction. His defence is seeking his acquittal while the prosecutor wants his prison sentence increased to nine years.
Alves called time on his career last year after 22 years, winning multiple titles across spells with Barcelona, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Sao Paulo.
He also won four titles with the Brazil national team including two Copa America, earning a total of 126 caps.
