THE TRIAL of former Barcelona footballer Dani Alves for sexual assault will begin on February 5.
Alves is accused of assaulting a 23-year-old at Barcelona’s Sutton nightclub in December 2022.
The former Brazil player has 3 days for his hearing.
Alves, 40, has denied any wrongdoing and consensual sex with the accuser.
He charged through an inquiry from Barcelona in August and the court ruled in November that there was sufficient evidence to open a trial.
The accusation and the simultaneous accusation will request an 8-year criminal sentence against Alves.
He has been in pre-trial detention since January 20, and since then his lawyer has been denied bail programs because he was considered a flight risk.
The last time the court ruled on the move in June, the ruling concluded that none of Alves’ lawyer’s new attempts, such as a new statement, the investigation of security cameras and the search of his children, were not enough for him to be released.
Indeed, according to the order that keeps him in prison, the evidence collected through the Mossos d’Esquadra – adding the fingerprints discovered in the toilets of the VIP domain of the Sutton nightclub – “only distorts, but confirms” the victim’s account.
Alves won 42 titles during his illustrious football career, including three Champions Leagues with Barcelona and two Copa Americas with Brazil.
He played his third World Cup last year in Qatar.
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