Former Barcelona and Brazil star Dani Alves jailed for raping woman in nightclub toilet
22 February 2024, 09:20 | Updated: 22 February 2024, 11:35
Ex-Barcelona footballer Dani Alves has been jailed for raping a woman in a nightclub toilet.
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The former Brazil full back, considered one of the best of all time, has been given four and a half years behind bars after a court ruled a woman did not consent to having sex with him.
Alves had admitted having sex with her, after initially denying he ever met her, and claimed she had the option to leave.
But he was accused of luring the victim, a 23-year-old woman, to the toilet in the VIP section of Sutton nightclub in Barcelona on December 30 2022.
In a statement, Audiencia Provincial court said there was additional evidence on top of the victim's testimony that proved that she had been raped.
A three-judge panel has also ordered him to pay the victim 150,000 euros.
Alves, 40, denied any wrongdoing during a trial that took place over three days earlier in February and can appeal the decision.
During the trial, the woman gave evidence from behind a screen and said Alves had forced himself on her.
Her friend said she had broken down and cried "uncontrollably" after leaving the stall.
Judges said it was proven that he "grabbed hold of the victim, threw her on the ground and prevented her from moving while he penetrated her, despite her saying 'no' and insisting she wanted to leave".
They said no contradictions in the victim's testimony emerged and she was coherent during the investigation and trial.
Alves is best known as the long-serving right back at Barcelona, where he played alongside the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez.
There, he won some of the most important titles in the game, including multiple Champions Leagues and La Ligas.
He left in 2016 to join European giants Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain before heading back to Brazil.
He rejoined Barcelona from 2021 before moving to UNAM in Mexico, which sacked him after he was arrested early in 2023.
Alves, a father of two, had flown to Barcelona for his mother-in-law's funeral when he was detained.
He had previously said they only person he needed to ask forgiveness for was from his wife, Joana Sanz.
