Former Barcelona and Brazilian star Dani Alves is set to face trial for alleged sexual assault, after a ruling by a court judge. The 40-year-old footballer was accused of rape in January for an incident that allegedly happened on December 30, 2022, in Barcelona, Spain. Alves has been in police custody since January, with the Barcelona court denying him bail. The presiding judge has given Alves’ lawyers five days to present their arguments for the trial, which must convince the judge of his innocence or face the appropriate penalty.
Dani Alves – Getty image The trial date will be set at the expiration of the five-day ultimatum. If convicted, Alves could face imprisonment for up to 12 years, depending on the weight of the court proceedings. Additionally, the jury might impose a fine of €150,000 based on the trial’s outcome. Meanwhile, reports reveal that throughout the proceedings that led up to the court’s statement, Alves has maintained his innocence, providing four different versions of events related to the accusation. The Brazilian had quite a remarkable career in football, and was once the most decorated footballer with 43 titles until Lionel Messi surpassed the record. He played for several top clubs, including Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Sevilla, Sao Paulo, and Bahia.
Dani Alves at a match for Mexican side Pumas UNAM. Source: Getty A judge ordered that the former Barcelona defender be jailed without bail after analyzing the initial probe by authorities and hearing testimony from Alves, the alleged victim, and witnesses. A trial date has not been set. A Barcelona court ruled on Monday that Dani Alves remains a flight risk and should remain in jail until the investigation is concluded. The court previously denied a similar request by the footballer’s defence team in May. Alves’ lawyers had tried to discredit testimony by the alleged victim and other witnesses by presenting security camera footage showing that Alves and the victim were flirting with each other at the nightclub. But the court said in its ruling on Monday that the flirting should not “in any way justify an eventual sexual assault.” 
Mexican football club, Pumas, has terminated its contract with Dani Alves after he was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault on Friday, January 20. 
It was reported earlier that the former Barcelona full-back and veteran Brazil international was accused of allegedly putting his hands inside the underwear of a woman without her consent while she was dancing with friends and then following her into a toilet. She is said to have informed security staff in the club, who activated Barcelona city council’s protocol against assaults and sexual harassment. 39-year-old Alves appeared before a judge yesterday, who ordered that he be held in custody without bail. 
Though he has denied the allegation against him, Liga MX side Pumas has reacted to the allegation by terminating his contract which was set to expire in July 2023. This was announced by the club chairman Leopoldo Silva in a brief statement to the press on Friday evening. 
According to police, the Catalan authorities received a complaint regarding Dani Alves on January 2 from a woman who claimed that he had behaved inappropriately and touched her at popular Barcelona nightclub Sutton on the night of December 30-31. Daily newspaper ABC said Alves allegedly put his hands inside the underwear of a woman without her consent while she was dancing with friends and then followed her into a toilet. She is said to have informed security staff in the club, who activated Barcelona city council’s protocol against assaults and sexual harassment. The 39-year-old defender was summoned to a Barcelona police station where he was “taken into custody” and will now be questioned by a judge, said a spokesperson for Catalonia’s regional police force, the Mossos d’Esquadra. 
Alves has already confirmed he was at the nightclub at the time but has denied any wrongdoing, telling private Spanish television station Antena 3 earlier this month that he has “never seen” the woman before. He said; “Yes, I was in that place, with more people, enjoying myself. And people who know me know that I love to dance. I was dancing and enjoying myself without invading the space of others. “I don’t know who that lady is. You arrive at a bathroom and you don’t have to ask who’s there. I have never invaded anyone’s space. How am I going to do it with a woman or a girl? No, for God’s sake.” His wife Joana Sanz told Antena 3 in an interview on January 9 that her husband had gone “out to dinner with friends, to disconnect a bit” on December 30. 
“He went out to dance and try to enjoy music as likes, period. Nothing wrong happened…I know how respectful he is,” she added. Alves, who now plays for Mexican side Pumas UNAM, was in Barcelona on holiday following his participation at the World Cup with Brazil in Qatar. He was the oldest player to represent Brazil at the men’s World Cup. A Barcelona court said earlier this month it had opened a probe “into an alleged crime of sexual assault as a result of a complaint filed by a woman against a footballer”.