Footballer Dani Alves goes on trial for rape
BARCELONA: Former Brazilian football star Dani Alves went on trial Monday in Barcelona accused of raping a woman in a local nightclub in 2022. Prosecutors are demanding a nine-year prison sentence, followed by 10 years of conditional liberty, where he would remain under supervision. They are also asking that he pay 150,000 euros ($162,000) in compensation to the woman.
The 40-year-old former Barcelona, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain defender,
decked out in a white shirt and jeans, was driven to court in a police van from a prison near Barcelona, where he has been held on remand since his arrest in January 2023.
He was arrested after a young woman accused him of raping her in a bathroom of the VIP area of the upmarket Sutton nightclub in Barcelona in the early hours of December 31, 2022. The three-time Champions League winner has said they had consensual sex after initially denying knowing the woman during a television interview.
The trial is scheduled to hear testimony from around 30 people, including Alves, his wife, the alleged victim and staff from the nightclub. It is expected to wrap up on Wednesday, with a verdict likely to come several weeks later. Alves’ lawyer asked that he take the stand last, but the court still must decide on the request.
‘Anguish and terror’
According to the prosecution, Alves — who was on holiday in Barcelona at the time after playing for Brazil at the World Cup in Qatar — offered champagne to the young woman and her friend. Alves then allegedly invited the woman to enter a small enclosure at the nightclub, which she says she did not know was a lavatory.
Once inside the footballer showed a “violent attitude” and forced her to have intercourse despite her resistance, prosecutors say according to the indictment. “The victim asked him several times to let her go, saying she wanted to leave but the defendant prevented her from doing so,” according to the indictment, which describes a “situation of anguish and terror” for the young woman.