Brazilian Footballer- Dani Alves charged for raping woman at Barcelona Nightclub

Dani Alves, a former Brazilian footballer accused of raping a young woman in a VIP section of Barcelona Sutton nightclub on New Year’s Eve. The police arrested him on the charge of ‘Sexual assault with penetration’ three weeks later. However, he faced the last day of trial on Wednesday.

He appeared at the High Court of Justice of Catalonian in Barcelona, where the prosecutors asked for a nine-year prison sentence for Dani Alves, a former Brazilian footballer accused of raping a young woman in a VIP section of Barcelona Sutton nightclub on New Year’s Eve, followed by ten years of conditional liberty.

They have also asked him to pay 150,000 euros ($162,000) in compensation to the woman.

According to the reports, his friend Bruno, who accompanied him in the nightclub, told the court that Alves had consumed a lot of alcohol and was drunk before entering the club. 

The trial began on Monday, with the woman victim testifying for more than an hour from behind a curtain to avoid facing a footballer in a closed-door hearing. She requested to keep her name anonymous, due to which her voice was modified to avoid her identity.

As per Alves, whatever had happened between him and the woman was consensual. However, some people took the stand for the woman who was also present at the nightclub that the victim was in distress after she was allegedly raped.

Further, he rejected all the charges, but the police detained him since he was arrested.

Details of the incident

Footballer star Alves’ friend Bruno told the court that after some time after entering the nightclub, the accused invited three young women to accompany them to the table. Meanwhile, Alves went to the bathroom, and he was followed by a young woman. 

After coming out of the bathroom, a former star continued dancing, and he didn’t talk to his friend about what had happened there. After leaving the place, Alves went straight to his home to his wife, Joana Sanz, 31.

According to her wife’s statement, the duo has not been officially divorced, and she was residing at their Barcelona house. She added that she was at home on the same night. Continuing her statement, she further said that her husband came home drunk and ‘he bumped into several pieces of furniture and collapsed on the bed.’

Sanz said that she didn’t talk to him because he was not in a state of talking. 

The woman victim went to the nightclub with her friend and cousin. The officials have recorded their statements as well. As per them, they found her in a shocking and miserable state after getting out of the bathroom. 

Additionally, Alves is an ex-Brazilian footballer who played for Barcelona and Paris Saint-German during a storied career.