Nigeria, Feb. 22 -- Former Barcelona and Brazil right-back Dani Alves has been sentenced to four years and six months in prison for sexual assault.

As reported by Sky Sports, this is a landmark case for Spain's new sexual assault laws.

The 40-year-old, who was found guilty of assaulting a woman in a Barcelona nightclub on New Year's Eve 2022, has been in custody since January 2023.

He must also pay his victim 150,000 euros in compensation and their legal costs.

The court ruled that Alves had violated the victim's consent and that evidence supported her accusations.

Alves' initial denials and later claims of consensual sex were rejected. He claimed he had tried to protect his marriage by initially denying the encounter, and his defenc...