Brazilian soccer star Dani Alves has been jailed for four and a half years for rape.
When Dani Alves proudly and joyfully held up the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021, all was well with the world for the Brazilian soccer star. It was his 46th and last major title, making him the most successful professional in history.
Three years later, there is nothing left of the former glamor as a highly decorated footballer for the Selecao, FC Barcelona and Paris St. Germain. The now 40-year-old has to go to prison for four and a half years for raping a woman in a nightclub in Barcelona. In addition, there is five years of probation and a fine of 150,000 euros to the victim.
“The victim did not consent and there is evidence that goes beyond the complainant’s statement and allows the rape to be considered proven,” said the Supreme Court of Catalonia’s ruling. Alves wants to appeal, a lawyer said.
The prosecution had even demanded nine years in prison and ten more years of probation, while Alves’ defense had pleaded for acquittal. The crime occurred on the night of December 31, 2022. Since then, Alves has changed his version of events several times.
Dani Alves: Camera images and semen traces as evidence
That night, Alves was at Sutton, a luxury nightclub in Catalonia’s metropolis. According to the court’s conviction, he danced with an unknown woman, then took her into the exclusive area and finally disappeared with her into the toilets. Sexual abuse then occurred there. Camera images and semen traces served as evidence.
The woman, whose identity has been kept secret to this day, filed a complaint after an initial shock. On January 20, 2023, Alves appeared at the police hearing and has been behind bars since then. During his twelve months in prison, he changed his version from “I don’t know” to “she wanted it too” to “I had been drinking and was out of my mind”.
In Spain it has been “Solo Si es Si” since May 2022 – only a yes is a yes. The core tenet of the new law means that only a clear yes from both sides will legalize sexual contact; anything else is rape.
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Dani Alves: Most recently he played in Mexico
Alves grew up in poor conditions in Juazeiro in the state of Bahia. In 2002, the powerful defender moved to Sevilla FC. Further stops in Europe’s top leagues for the 126-time national player were: Barca, Juventus Turin and PSG. Most recently he played in Mexico for UNAM Pumas. However, the contract was canceled after Alves was arrested in Barcelona.
A few months earlier, Alves had philosophized about his life motto to the AFP news agency. “In life you don’t have to be right, you have to be happy. And I am very happy!” That should be a thing of the past for now.