A Barcelona court said on Wednesday that ex-Brazil football player Dani Alves would be released from jail pending an appeal against his rape conviction in exchange for posting a one million euro ($1.08 million) bail. The decision was made one day after the 40-year-old’s attorney requested his release, citing the fact that he has already spent a four-and-a-half-year sentence term in pre-trial detention after being arrested in January 2023.
In its verdict, the court allowed him “provisional release” in exchange for “the bail payment of 1,000,000 euros” and also required him to give up his Spanish and Brazilian passports, remain in Spain and appear in court “on a weekly basis”.
Public prosecutors had rejected his request, claiming he posed a high-flight risk.
Alves, one of the most decorated football players in history, was found guilty on February 22 of raping a young lady in a Barcelona nightclub in December 2022. Alves played for both Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.
His attorneys quickly appealed the conviction.
The woman, who testified behind a screen to protect her identity, claimed that Alves physically forced her to have sex in the nightclub’s private bathroom despite her begging him to let her go, causing her “anguish and terror.”
Alves’ attorneys claimed the victim was “glued” to the player while dancing at the nightclub, citing “sexual tension” between the two. However, the court stated that this did not imply “that she consented to anything that might have subsequently happened” in its 61-page decision.
