Alves will go on trial for rape in February

Former Brazilian soccer star Dani Alves will stand trial in Spain for allegedly raping a woman in a Barcelona nightclub in December 2022 between February 5 and 7 next year, a Spanish court has said. on Wednesday. Prosecutors are seeking a nine-year prison sentence for the former Barcelona defender, who has been jailed in Spain since his arrest in January this year, and asked the Brazilian to pay his alleged victim 150 euro as compensation. The 40-year-old claimed that he had sex after having an understanding with his accuser.

"I have a really clear conscience about what happened that night in the bathroom of the VIP area of ​​the Sutton nightclub," Alves told Barcelona-based newspaper La Vanguardia in an interview published in June, the first since his arrest. his. "What happened and what didn't happen. And what didn't happen is that I forced this woman to do everything we did."

But when the story first broke in the media - and before he was arrested - Alves in a television interview initially denied knowing the woman who made a police complaint against him on January 2 this year.

"I was dancing and having a good time without occupying anyone's space," he told the Spanish TV channel "Antena 3". "I don't know who this lady is. How could I do this to a woman? No".

Alves later admitted that he had lied at first because he was afraid his wife would leave him if he admitted he had been with another woman. The high-profile trial will take place in Barcelona, ​​the court leading the investigation into the case said in a statement. Prosecutors allege Alves invited the woman into a small room at the upscale Sutton nightclub, which she says she did not know was a toilet. After entering, the footballer showed a "violent attitude" towards the woman, whom he forced to have sex despite her resistance, say the prosecutors according to the indictment. Under Spain's sexual consent law passed last year, the charge of sexual assault covers a wide range of crimes from online abuse to rape, each with different possible penalties. A case of rape can be punished with a maximum of 15 years.

At the time of the incident, Alves was on vacation in Barcelona after playing for Brazil in the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Following his arrest, Alves was left without a club after his contract was terminated by Mexican side Pumas UNAM. In a very successful career, Alves won 42 trophies, including the Champions League three times with Barcelona and the Copa American twice with Brazil. At last year's World Cup in Qatar, Alves became the oldest player to represent Brazil at the football tournament. Alves started his career as a professional in 2001 in Bahia, Brazil, to move to Europe after two years. He was part of the Sevilla, Barcelona, ​​Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain teams. He also played for Sao Paulo for two seasons, before joining the team from Mexico, UNAM Pumas last year, for which he made 13 appearances. From 2006 to last year, Alves played 126 matches with Brazil and scored eight goals.