Dani Alves, provisionally released after being sentenced to prison for sexual assault

The Spanish Justice issued a provisional release for Dani Alves after being sentenced to four years and six months in prison for sexual assault. The former Brazilian soccer player must post bail of one million euros (about $1.1 million) to temporarily avoid jail while the courts issue the final sentence.

To prevent Alves from leaving Spain before the final ruling is known, Justice decided to withhold his two passports, the Spanish and the Brazilian, according to AFP. In addition, he must appear in court once a week - or when required - to prove that he is still in the country.

The defense of Alves - who was a player for teams such as FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus, among others - appealed the sentence as soon as it was announced. In addition to the four and a half years in prison, The former Brazilian soccer player was sentenced with five additional years of supervised release, with an order restraining the victim for nine and a half years and with the payment of compensation of 150,000 euros (just over $160,000).

The events for which Alves was convicted occurred on the night of December 30, 2022 in a famous nightclub in Barcelona. The victim reported the former soccer player for sexually assaulting her in the facility's bathrooms. Alves was arrested days later and had to testify in court. Immediately afterwards, the judge ordered provisional detention for the accused until the trial began, for which he was sentenced to four years and six months in prison.