Ex-Barcelona star Dani Alves has rape conviction annulled

MADRID: A Spanish appeals court overturned Friday former Brazil international footballer Dani Alves´ rape conviction, citing insufficient evidence.

Alves was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail in February last year for raping a young woman in the VIP bathroom of a Barcelona nightclub on December 31, 2022. The 41-year-old, who won the Champions League three-times with Barcelona, was released from jail last March pending his appeal after he posted the one million euros ($1.1million) bail set by the court. His trial contained “a series of gaps, inaccuracies, inconsistencies, and contradictions regarding the facts, the legal assessment, and its consequences,” the court said in its ruling.

Alves´ accuser was an “unreliable complainant” since her testimony “differed notably” from evidence of video footage taken before she and Alves entered the bathroom where she alleges the player forced her to have sex without her consent. As a result, the court said there was “insufficient evidence” to prove Alves was guilty.

During the trial, the woman, who testified behind a screen to protect her identity, said Alves had violently forced her inside the bathroom to have sex despite begging him to let her go, causing her “anguish and terror”, according to prosecutors present for her declaration.