Prosecutors will seek 9-year jail term in Alves trial – report

Spanish prosecutors will seek a nine-year prison sentence against Brazilian defender Dani Alves, according to EFE judicial sources.

Alves, 40, will be tried in Spain for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman at a nightclub in December 2022.

The prosecution will also demand 150,000 euros in compensation for the alleged victim.

A trial date has not been set.

In an order, Section 21 of the Barcelona Superior Court recently confirmed the prosecution of Alves, concluding that the statement of the alleged victim and witnesses, as well as the corroboration of experts, provide sufficient evidence to try him for the crime of sexual assault.

The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain player was arrested in January after being accused of raping a young woman in the toilets of a Barcelona nightclub on December 30, 2022.

Alves has since been held without bail in a Barcelona prison, and his requests for release have been repeatedly rejected by the court because he is considered a flight risk.

When the allegations first came to light, Alves denied in a television interview that he knew the woman involved.

He later said the sex with the accuser was consensual.

He was indicted by an investigating judge in August.

Alves’ contract with Liga MX club Pumas UNAM, the club he joined after leaving Barcelona in June 2022, was terminated on January 20.

In Spain, a rape case can carry a maximum sentence of 15 years.

Alves is one of the most decorated players in the world.

He won 42 titles, including three UEFA Champions League titles with Barcelona and two Copa América titles with Brazil.

He played in his third World Cup last year in Qatar.