Ex-Barcelona and Sevilla player Dani Alves acquitted on appeal after rape conviction

The Supreme Court in Catalonia has acquitted Dani Alves of rape, after he was convicted just over a year ago. The incident took place in December of 2022 at a nightclub in Barcelona, but the former Blaugrana and Sevilla player has maintained his innocence since handing himself over to the police in January of 2023.

The Appeals Court has upheld the appeal submitted by Alves after the conviction was confirmed. According to Sport, the three magistrates sitting on the case found a ‘series of gaps, imprecisions, inconsistencies and contradictions in the facts, judicial assessment and their consecuences’, read a court ruling on Friday morning. They considered the testimony of the victim ‘insufficient’ to overrule the presumption of innocence.

Originally, Alves was convicted of rape, and sentenced to 4.5 years in prison, after a trial that took several weeks to complete. It took more than a year for the case to reach trial, with Alves spending 14 months in custody – he was denied bail originally and had his passport confiscated as he was considered a flight risk. After the conviction, Alves put together a bail bond reportedly worth around €1m, and has been living in the Catalan capital since, although he has been denied permission to leave the country while his appeal was in process.

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The prosecution had also appealed the 4.5-year sentence, which included a €150k in damages for the victim and a nine-month restraining order against Alves approaching or contacting the victim. They were seeking an increased sentence, having originally requested a nine-year sentence for the 41-year-old. However the decision of the Supreme Court means their appeal has been rejected.

Alves was in action for Mexican side Tigres when he handed himself in, but had his deal rescinded as a result, and was reportedly facing legal action due to a breach of contract. It is not clear whether he will seek to return to football.