New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS): Former Brazil and Barcelona FC footballer Dani Alves has been found guilty of raping a woman in a Barcelona nightclub and sentenced to 4.5 years in jail.

The 40-year-old footballer had denied sexually assaulting the woman in the early hours of 31 December 2022 and he can appeal against the sentence.

In a statement, the court said there was evidence other than the victim's testimony that proved that she had been raped. It also ordered him to pay €150,000 (£128,500) to the victim, BBC reported.

Alves, who has been held in pre-trial detention since January 2023, Alves has altered his testimony multiple times during this month's trial. Initially, he denied any acquaintance with his accuser but later said that they had encountered each other in the restroom, stating that no incident had occurred between them.

Subsequently, he revised his account once more, asserting that they engaged in consensual sexual activity.

The victim told state prosecutors that Alves and his friend had bought champagne for three young women before asking one of them to accompany him to another area with a toilet which she did not know of.

At that point they argued he turned violent, forcing the woman to have sex despite her repeated requests to leave.