Dani Alves to spend weekend in jail after not posting bail – sources

Dani Alves will spend the weekend in prison after failing to post the 1 million euro ($1.08 million) bail required for his parole as he awaits the outcome of his conviction appeal for rape, judicial sources confirmed to ESPN.

The former Brazilian footballer was released on bail on Wednesday after his 4 1/2 year sentence, but failed to raise the money for a third consecutive day on Friday.

ESPN sources added that Alves' legal team requested a one-hour extension until the deadline of 2 p.m. local time, but was still unable to provide the funds. Payment cannot be made on Saturday or Sunday.

Sources had told ESPN earlier this week that Alves was exploring different avenues to raise the million euros, including releasing some of his assets and demanding the money owed to him by the Spanish tax authority. The sources confirmed Friday that Alves hoped to have the money ready by Monday or Tuesday.

On Friday, the father of Brazilian star Neymar, a former teammate of Alves, said neither he nor his son would help him post bail.

Neymar Sr. confirmed he had helped Alves with money since his arrest in early 2023, but explained that was before his conviction for sexual assault at a Barcelona nightclub in late 2022 was confirmed.

For Alves to be released, he must surrender his Brazilian and Spanish passports, in addition to posting bail, and is prohibited from leaving the country. He still has a residence near Barcelona.

Alves also cannot come within 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) of the victim or attempt to communicate with her, and he must report to the courthouse every week.

The decision to grant Alves bail pending the outcome of his appeal earlier this week sparked backlash, with the victim's lawyer Ester García calling it a “scandalous” decision.

“It’s justice for the rich,” she said.

All parties involved – the defense, the victim's legal team and the prosecution – were given three days to appeal Wednesday's decision, which García confirmed she would do.

Alves was sentenced to 4 1/2 years in prison in February after a judge found him guilty of sexual assault following a three-day trial.

He has already served 14 months of this sentence, having been held in preventive prison since his arrest last year.

Brazilian full-back Danilo, who will captain the team in Saturday's friendly against England, has spoken about the importance of footballers setting an example following the conviction of Alves and that of Robinho, who began serving a nine-year prison sentence on Thursday. conviction for rape.

“We, as top athletes, need to understand where we fit in, what our role is, understand that we have the power to influence positively or negatively, and it's time for us to better understand what our role is. role: Playing football, representing our clubs and our national team, but also serving as an example of behavior off the field for young people,” he said at a press conference on Friday.

It is important to start this awareness and have this conversation with young people, so that more authentic and thoughtful thinking is formed, putting ourselves in women's shoes in a more empathetic way. And so that women can have more freedom to occupy the places they deserve to occupy.”

Reporting from ESPN's Adriana Garcia contributed to this report.