Party boy Dani Alves returns to court over rape allegation

FOOTBALL Party boy Dani Alves returns to court over rape allegation

Abigael Wafula 11:00 - 18.04.2023

The 39-year-old Alves appeared in court at his own request on Monday, April 17.

Brazil defender Dani Alves went back to court on Monday, April 18, to testify before the judge who is investigating a rape allegation made by a woman in Barcelona and now has been remanded in custody.

As reported by AFP, 39-year-old Alves, who has been jailed without bail since January 20, appeared in court at his own request on Monday.

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He gave a brief statement to the judge in which he admitted the pair had sexual relations but said it was consensual. However, he is still under investigation for the alleged crime of sexual assault which includes rape in the Spanish penal code.

Police said they received a complaint from a young woman on January 2, with a source close to the investigation confirming Alves was accused of rape. It was reported that the incident took place in the bathroom of a popular Barcelona nightclub in late December.

Sources close to the case revealed that the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-German star had initially denied knowing her and changed his story several times. He later said they had consensual relations.

The first time he testified was on the day of his arrest when the judge ordered that he be held in custody without bail given the contradictions in his initial statements and the risk of him absconding.

Alves' defense team filed a motion for his release which was rejected on February 21 with the court saying he posed "a high flight risk".

It cited the potentially heavy sentence he could face, the "serious evidence of criminality" against him and the fact Brazil was unlikely to extradite him for trial.

At the time of the incident, Alves was on holiday in Barcelona after playing for Brazil at the World Cup in Qatar. After his arrest, Alves was sacked by his Mexican club Pumas UNAM and his wife, model Joana Sanz, also left him.

In a highly successful career, Alves made 408 appearances for Barcelona, 391 of which were during his first spell with the club between 2008-2016. During that initial period, he won six La Liga titles, three Champions League crowns and four Copa del Rey trophies.

At the last year's World Cup, he became the oldest player to represent Brazil at football's showpiece tournament.

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