Madrid, March 28 -- Former FC Barcelona and Brazil defender Dani Alves had his conviction for sexual assault overturned on appeal by the High Court in the Catalan region of north-east Spain on Friday.
Alves was originally sentenced to four and a half years in jail in February 2024 after being found guilty of raping a woman in a Barcelona nightclub.
He also had to pay the alleged victim 150,000 euros (161,000 US dollars) in compensation. He was released a month later on appeal, with the former player asking for the verdict to be quashed, while prosecutors asked for a tougher sentence.
Friday's verdict saw the judges overturn the original guilty verdict, saying the testimony of Alves' supposed victim contained "inconsistencies and contr...