A Spanish court has found former Barcelona and Brazil football player Dani Alves guilty of rape, in an unexpected development.
The decision, which was made public on Thursday, February 22, stunned the sports community and beyond.
Alves, who was detained in January 2023 in Brians II jail due to rape accusations, was given a four-and-a-half-year prison term.
Alves was found guilty of rape by the court’s ruling, which also came with extra consequences. Alves has been sentenced to jail and forced to pay $163,000 (€150,000) in compensation to the victim.
Furthermore, Alves has been slapped with a nine and a half year restraining order, prohibiting any contact with the victim upon his release.
Even after completing his prison term, Alves will be required to serve five years’ worth of probation.
The incident took place in the early hours of December 31, 2022, within the VIP section of Barcelona’s Sutton nightclub.
The court concluded that the victim did not consent to sexual intercourse, affirming the accusations against Alves.
Despite the footballer’s stature and several claims of consent from the player, the court ruled against his favour having been forced to change his statement at least four times.
