Celta Vigo striker Santi Mina was sentenced to four years in prison on Wednesday after being found guilty of sexual abuse.
The 26-year-old will have to serve time if his appeal is unsuccessful. The Spanish court also handed Mina a restraining order prohibiting him from approaching the victim for the next 12 years.
In addition, he was ordered to pay 50,000 euros (£42,100) in damages. Mina won’t be allowed to get within 500 meters of the victim or her home, or to try to establish any type of contact with her.
Mina was cleared of the sexual assault charge he was also facing, which is associated to intimidation or violence against the victim.
Mina’s defence team said it would appeal the decision based on errors committed during the trial, according to the Spanish news agency EFE.
Celta said they preventively removed the player from their squad until the appeal process is over. The club also opened disciplinary proceedings to determine the options the club can take.
Mina was briefly detained in June 2017 after being accused of sexually assaulting a woman while on holiday in Mojacar alongside Ibiza footballer David Goldar, who was cleared of all charges.
The ruling can be appealed in higher courts before the sentence is carried out.
“RC Celta respects the player’s right to a defence, but is forced to take measures against the events that notoriously undermine the image of the club and directly attack its values,” the club said in a statement.
