Former Barcelona footballer Dani Alves Has Been Sentenced to Four And A Half Years in Prison

Dani Alves, a legendary player for FC Barcelona, was found guilty of sexual assault and received a sentence of four and a half years in prison by a court in Barcelona

Catalonia's top court found him guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in an upscale Barcelona nightclub early on New Year's Eve in December 2022.

The victim, Alves, was found guilty of raping confirmed that Alves had forced himself on her in a bathroom when she gave her evidence in court behind her screen.

A friend who was with her the night of the rape broke down in tears as she recalled how the victim was “crying uncontrollably” after leaving the small bathroom where she was raped. 

Dani Alves has now been sentenced to four and a half years in prison for sexual assault by the court in Barcelona. In addition to this, he will be forced to compensate the victim with a payment of $163,000 (€150,000) and has also been hit with a nine-and-a-half-year restraining order. Upon release, Alves must complete five years' worth of probation.

The three-time Barça Champions League winner and former Brazil international first denied knowing the victim in a TV interview. However, Alves later admitted to having sex with her but claimed it was consensual.

Subsequently, Alves explained to the Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia that he had originally lied because he was afraid his wife, Joanna Sanz, would leave him.

Alves adamantly denied raping the young woman while taking the stand at the end of a three-day trial last Wednesday. 

Alves denied hitting the woman and grabbing her hair too, protesting "I am not a violent man" during an appearance on the stand that lasted almost 20 minutes.

Alves was sentenced just over a week after the trial concluded, at around 10:00 AM on Thursday in Barcelona.