Alves trial won’t be behind closed doors – Barcelona court

A Barcelona court has rejected a request for Dani Alves' trial to be held behind closed doors, a court spokesperson confirmed to ESPN.

The former Brazilian defender will be tried in Barcelona from February 5 to 7 for alleged sexual assault on a woman in a nightclub in 2022.

Prosecutors, the accuser and Alves' defense asked a judge to have the case heard behind closed doors.

The court decided that the trial will be held in public, except for the statement of the alleged victim, which will be heard behind closed doors.

The media will be able to follow the trial via a remote streaming link, without broadcasting images or sound.

Alves, 40, was arrested in January 2023 after being accused of raping a young woman in the toilets of a Barcelona nightclub on December 30, 2022.

The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain player has since been held without bail in a Barcelona prison, with his requests for release rejected by the court as he is considered a flight risk.

Even though Alves changed his version of events five times, the victim's statement remained the same.

Earlier this month, Alves said for the first time that he was drunk the night he is accused of the sexual assault, according to court sources.

The Barcelona public prosecutor's office is seeking a nine-year prison sentence against Alves and payment of 150,000 euros in compensation to the alleged victim.