The Denmark international striker Nicklas Bendtner has been convicted of assaulting a taxi driver and sentenced to 50 days in jail, but walked free from the Copenhagen city courtroom pending an appeal hearing.
The 30-year-old, who plays for Norwegian club side Rosenborg, has appealed against the sentence, his lawyer said, and he was released until the hearing in a higher court.
In surveillance video of the incident in September, Bendtner appears to strike the driver in the face and kick him after a row started over which way the driver was supposed to drive. Bendtner admitted to hitting the taxi driver in the face, but said it was because he felt threatened when the driver threw a bottle or a can towards him and his girlfriend when they left without paying.