A Spanish appeals court overturned former Brazil international and Barcelona defender, Dani Alves’ rape conviction on Friday, citing “shortcomings” and “inaccuracies” in his trial.
Alves, 41, had been sentenced in February 2024 to four and a half years in prison for allegedly raping a young woman in the VIP bathroom of a Barcelona nightclub on December 31, 2022.
However, he was released on bail in March after posting one million euros ($1.1 million) while awaiting the outcome of his appeal.
The appeals court, consisting of four judges, unanimously ruled in favour of Alves’ appeal, leading to the annulment of his conviction.
Additionally, it rejected an appeal from public prosecutors who had been seeking to increase his sentence to nine years.
According to the ruling, the trial contained “a series of gaps, inaccuracies, inconsistencies, and contradictions regarding the facts, the legal assessment, and its consequences.”
During the initial proceedings, the woman testified behind a screen to protect her identity, describing an alleged violent encounter in which Alves forced her into non-consensual sex despite her pleas for him to stop.
Prosecutors had cited her testimony, stating that she suffered “anguish and terror.”
Alves, however, maintained that the encounter was consensual, denying any violence.
“I am not that type of man, I am not violent,” he told the court in response to his lawyer’s questioning.
He further stated, “If she wanted to leave, she could have left; she was not obliged to be there.”
His defense team argued that the nightclub CCTV footage showed the woman voluntarily dancing close to the player before they entered the restroom together.
Alves had initially denied knowing his accuser in a televised interview but later admitted to having a sexual encounter with her after security footage surfaced.
He later explained to La Vanguardia newspaper that he had initially lied out of fear that his wife would leave him.
The lower court had ordered Alves to pay 150,000 euros in compensation to the woman and serve a five-year probation period following his jail term.
However, with his conviction annulled, these conditions have also been revoked, the appeals court confirmed.
Alves played a crucial role in Barcelona’s dominant era, winning six La Liga titles and three UEFA Champions League trophies.
He earned 126 caps for Brazil, winning the Copa América twice. Beyond Spain, he also claimed league titles with Juventus in Italy and Paris Saint-Germain in France.
At the time of his arrest, Alves was under contract with Mexican club Pumas UNAM, which swiftly terminated his deal.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had previously criticized the court’s decision to release Alves on bail, stating that financial resources “cannot undo the crime that a man commits by raping a woman.”
