Dani Alves sexual assault case: Barcelona great sentenced to four and a half years in jail

Former Brazil and Barcelona great Dani Alves was sentenced to four and a half years in prison after being found guilty in a December 2022 sexual assault case. Catalonia’s top court on Thursday (Feb 22) also ordered Alves to pay 50,000 Euros ($162,990) to the victim.

The second-most decorated footballer of all time in terms of trophies won, Alves was accused of raping a woman in the bathroom of Sutton Nightclub VIP section on New Year’s Eve in 2022.

«The sentence considers that it has been proven that the victim did not consent and that there is evidence, in addition to the testimony of the plaintiff, to consider the rape proven,» the Barcelona court ruled.

In total, the former fullback is also hit with a nine-and-a-half-year restraining order, as upon release, Alves will have to complete five years' worth of probation, per the court orders.

Following a probe into the incident, the police arrested Alves in January 2022, accusing him of “sexual assault with penetration”.

The prosecutors had asked for a nine-year prison term for Alves, followed by another 10 years of probation.

They also wanted Alves to pay $163,000 (€150,000) as compensation to the victim.

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The former Barcelona defender, while giving his statement to the newspaper La Vanguardia, admitted lying to his wife Joanna Sanz about raping the woman, fearing she would leave him.

His wife told the court that Alves ‘smelled of alcohol’ when he returned to their Barcelona home that night, not being in the state to talk. She added that a drunken Alves bumped into several pieces of furniture and collapsed on the bed.

Alves’ friend, who was with him at the time in the nightclub,