Former FC Barcelona and Brazil full back Dani Alves is to be released from jail after a court in Barcelona on Wednesday ruled he could be given a conditional discharge after serving around a quarter of his sentence for rape.

40-year-old Alves was given a four-and-a-half-year sentence in February after being found guilty of raping a woman in a Barcelona nightclub on December 30th, 2022. He had been held on remand since being arrested in January 2023.

The judge in the case found that while Alves had changed his testimony several times, the victim has been consistent with her description of events, which were backed up by video cameras in the nightclub and the testimony of witnesses.

Alaves, who also played for Juventus and Paris Saint Germain, will be allowed out of prison after agreeing to pay a million euros in bail and also surrendering his Spanish and Brazilian passports to assure that he is unable to flee the country.

He will also have to present himself at court once a week and has been given a restraining order forgiving him from approaching the victim, whose lawyer, Ester Garcia expressed her outrage at the decision and said she would lodge an appeal.

"To me, it's a scandal that they let a person who they know can get a million euros in no time walk free," she said, adding she was "outraged and dissatisfied," with a decision which showed there is "a justice system for the rich."