Ex-Barcelona and Brazil defender, Dani Alves, was found guilty of sexually assaulting a young woman in a Barcelona nightclub, a Spanish court ruled on Thursday, 22 February 2024. Alves, aged 40, denied any wrongdoing during a trial that took place over three days this month.
The three-judge panel sentenced Alves to four years and six months; the decision can be appealed. The court also ordered Alves to pay €150,000 to the victim and faced a 5-year probation/
One of the most decorated footballers in the sport’s history was involved in a sexual assault case on 31 December 2022.
Detailing the event, the prosecutors said that Alves, and his friend, had bought champagne for three young women before luring one of them to a VIP area of the nightclub with a toilet which she did not know of.
It was at this point that the event turned violent, forcing the woman to do activities despite her repeated requests to leave.
Alves had maintained she could have left “if she wanted to”. However, the court found that she did not consent.
It also added, that Alves had “abruptly grabbed the complainant” and thrown her to the ground. He then assaulted her while preventing her from moving as “the complainant said no and wanted to leave”.
