Dani Alves was found guilty in a rape case charge and was sentenced to a four-year, six-month jail term by Barcelona court on Thursday, February 22. The legendary Brazilian footballer was summoned to the courthouse to hear the verdict on Thursday where he was also ordered to pay $162,000 in compensation to the victim.
The former Barcelona full-back was facing a trial for raping a woman at a nightclub in Barcelona on December 31, 2022. Alves was detained in Barcelona on January 20 and was also denied bail due to being a flight risk. Alves initially denied all the charges as the victim's lawyers sought a 12-year jail term.
The victim told the court that she entered the nightclub with Alves willingly and also danced with him before the latter forced her to stay. She revealed that the footballer slapped her and later raped her in a bathroom of the club against her will.
Alves denied the accusation during the initial investigation but later accepted that he made sexual contact with a woman adding it was consensual. He revealed that he initially denied it for fear of losing his marriage. Alves' lawyers tried to show the player under the impression of alcohol during the incident.
The 40-year-old right-back played over 500 matches for top European clubs Sevilla, Barcelona, Juventus and PSG and most recently for Mexican side UNAM. Unam recently terminated his contract after the latter's arrest in January. Alves is considered one of the best full-backs of his generation and remains the most decorated footballer with 43 titles.
Alves made his senior international debut for Brazil in 2006 and went on to make 126 appearances scoring eight goals. Alves was part of the team in the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar where he became the nation's oldest player to play a World Cup game.
