Footballer Dani Alves is granted release from jail on €1million bail as he appeals against his four-and-a-half year prison sentence for rape

Former Barcelona defender, Dani Alves has been granted release from jail on bail for a million euros after serving a quarter of his four-and-a-half-year sentence.

Alves, 40, was found guilty of raping a woman in a Barcelona nightclub in the early hours of December 31, 2022, following his three-day trial last month, and has been held at Brians 2 Prison in Barcelona since January 2023.

He was also ordered to pay a €150,000 (£128,000) fine, and banned from approaching the victim for nine-and-a-half years.

His lawyer, Ines Guardiola, filed an appeal against the verdict, and Alves has now been granted bail by a Barcelona court once he pays the £850,000 fee, meaning he can leave prison while he awaits his final sentence.

Ester Garcia, a lawyer representing the as-yet-unnamed victim, took to Spanish radio to decry the court’s decision, claiming it was an example of ‘justice for the rich.’

‘I’m very surprised and totally outraged… because it’s like this is justice for the rich,’ Ester Garcia told RAC1 radio in the northeastern Catalonia region, denouncing it as ‘scandalous’ and saying the footballer could ‘get hold of a million euros in a heartbeat’.

Alves asked for his provisional release earlier this week, insisting that he would not ‘run away’ before his final sentence is handed down.

He has now been granted his wish after his lawyers downplayed the idea that he could be a flight risk.

Prosecutors for Alves’ case had called for him to receive a nine-year sentence and argued that he should not be allowed bail due to concerns he could flee Spain to return to Brazil.

However, he was handed only half the jail time they wanted and has now been freed from prison, pending the outcome of his appeal.

Alves has always maintained his innocence, insisting that his sexual encounter with the young woman in the nightclub bathroom was consensual.

However, he was sacked by Mexican club UNAM Pumas following his arrest 14 months ago.

Alves was married to model Joana Sanz at the time, but she revealed that she filed for divorce after the explosive accusations against the ex-Barcelona superstar came to light.

Alves spent eight years at Barcelona between 2008 and 2016, winning six La Liga titles and the Champions League three times.

He was removed from their official list of club legends after being found guilty of rape.