Dani Alves testified in court again, he could end up in jail for several years. I am not a rapist, responds to accusations of allegedly abused woman

Former Barcelona star Dani Alves has been facing some serious problems since last year. In February 2023, a court in Barcelona refused to release him on bail from prison. Then, on Wednesday 7 February this year, he testified again about the nightclub incident, after which he denied that he had raped the woman in question.

Dani Alves began being investigated by a Catalan court for alleged sexual assault in January last year. He was then placed in a remand prison a month later, with the hope that he could be released on bail.

But that was eventually rejected by the court and the former Brazilian footballer has been in custody ever since. The reason for this decision was that, given the star footballer’s fortune, his remaining in Spain would be at risk.

Alves had already denied all the allegations made against him by his wife at the time. The date of the next trial was a long time coming. But finally all those involved met yesterday, February 7, 2024.

The Juazeiro native again denied that he had sexually assaulted the woman. The problem, however, as The Athletic describes, is that Alves has changed his story several times over the course of the year.

At first, the holder of six Spanish titles said he had not met the woman at the club he went to dance at. However, he then admitted that he had unprotected sex with the woman in question, with her consent.

Alves will have to wait for the final verdict

During Wednesday’s trial, Alves testified calmly at first, but then he could no longer bear the weight of the situation and ended up in tears. However, he said that it was the woman who had seduced him during the dance and had eventually volunteered to go to the toilet with him.

There, the sexual intercourse took place, and when asked by the prosecutor whether Alves had forced the woman or behaved violently, he replied that he had not. “No way, I’m not that kind of person, I’m not violent. If she wanted to leave, she could have. She was not obliged to be there,” said the 40-year-old Brazilian, who was quoted by The Guardian.

The woman testified in court from behind a screen and with distorted sound to preserve her anonymity. The court will deliver its final verdict in the next few weeks. The prosecutor is seeking a nine-year prison sentence with a fine of €150,000 if found guilty. Lawyers are even proposing a three-year sentence.

Source: The Athletic, BBC, X