Neymar’s dad’ to pay €1m bail for Dani Alves

Former Brazil star Dani Alves is set to walk out of prison after allegedly getting Neymar's dad to pay his €1million (£850,000) bail.

Alves, 40, won his fight to appeal his four-and-a-half-year jail sentence from the comfort of his own home - which the lawyer of his victim branded "justice for the rich".

The disgraced footballer was pictured as he was sentenced on February 22 to rape

The Barcelona court's ruling came a day after his lawyer requested the disgraced footballer's release on grounds he had already served a quarter of his sentence in pre-trial detention following his arrest in January 2023.

The decision, which was not unanimous due to one dissenting judge on the panel of three, can be appealed.

But the court's ruling drew a furious response from the lawyer of the young woman, 23, who was raped by Alves at a Barcelona nightclub in December 2022.

Her lawyer Ester Garcia blasted the decision as "scandalous".

She fumed on RAC1 radio: "I'm very surprised and outraged... because it's like this is justice for the rich."

Garcia added: "It is scandalous that they can free a person who they know can get hold of a million euros in a heartbeat."

Sources close to Alves were saying they were confident the bail cash the footballer has to hand over could be raised today.

But Alves has allegedly turned to his pal Neymar's dad to front the money, LaVanguardia reports.

According to sources close to the player, this is allegedly the same route he used to pay for the €150,000 (£128,000) compensation given to his victim.

Neymar Santos Sr reportedly made himself available to Alves after his assets were frozen under a Brazilian court order related to his ex-wife, Dinorah Santana.

The conditions for Alves' release include relinquishing both his Brazilian and Spanish passports so he cannot flee Spain as well as an obligation to appear before the court every week.

The court also imposed a restraining order, barring the shamed star from coming within 1km of his victim.

Public prosecutors had opposed his request, arguing he posed a high flight risk.

Alves, one of the world's most decorated footballers who played for Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, was sentenced on February 22 after being convicted of raping a woman at a Barcelona nightclub in the early hours of December 31, 2022.

Alves guilty of raping woman in nightclub bathroom with ex-Barcelona star jailed for more than 4 years

Alves said via video link in a behind-closed-doors court hearing yesterday morning: “I am not going to flee, I believe in justice."

The star protested his innocence on February 7 after taking the stand on the last day of his three-day trial, saying the sex he had with his 23-year-old female accuser was consensual and insisting he would never hurt anyone.

The victim, who testified behind a screen to protect her identity, said Alves had violently forced her to have sex in a private bathroom of the nightclub despite begging him to let her go, causing her "anguish and terror", prosecutors said.

Alves' lawyers had argued the victim had been "glued" to the player while dancing at the nightclub, saying there was "sexual tension" between them.

But the court said in its 61-page decision that this did not mean "that she consented to anything that might have subsequently happened".