Dani Alves trial: Ex-Brazil Footballer Convicted of Nightclub Rape

A court in Spain has ruled that former Barcelona and Brazil footballer Dani Alves is responsible for assaulting a woman in a Barcelona nightclub.

The individual has been given a four-and-a-half-year prison term.

The 40-year-old, known as one of the most accomplished footballers in history, had refuted allegations of sexual assault against a woman in the early hours of 31 December 2022.

The attorney requested his acquittal, and Alves has the option to appeal the sentence.

Alves was accused of enticing the woman to a toilet in a VIP section of the nightclub and claimed she could have left “if she wanted to”. Nevertheless, the court ruled that she did not give consent.

The court stated that there was evidence, in addition to the victim’s testimony, which confirmed that she had been raped.

He was also instructed to pay €150,000 (£128,500) to the victim.

Alves has been in pre-trial detention since January 2023 and throughout this month’s trial, he has altered his testimony multiple times.

Initially, he denied any connection to his accuser, but later admitted to meeting her in the lavatory, insisting that nothing inappropriate occurred.

He proceeded to alter his account once more, claiming that they had engaged in consensual intercourse. “We were both having a good time,” he claimed.