Dani Alves, a former football player for Barcelona and Brazil, is on trial in Spain on charges of sexually assaulting a woman in a nightclub.
Since the alleged incident in December 2022, the 40-year-old has been detained without being granted bail and has been in prison for more than a year. If Alves is found guilty, he could spend 12 years in prison. Witnesses expected to testify include Dani Alves and his estranged wife, among over thirty others.
Having initially denying ever meeting his accuser, he later claimed they had had consensual sex. On Wednesday, his trial comes to a close.
He claimed he had been the victim of a media trial, but the Barcelona court rejected his request to pause the trial so he could have more time to prepare on Monday.
On the first day of the trial, Alves’s accuser testified. To protect her identity, she spoke from behind a screen. She claims he forced her into having sex with him after luring her into a bathroom in the VIP area of a Barcelona nightclub.
On Monday, the woman’s friend and cousin, who were both present the night of the alleged assault, also gave testimony. They claimed that earlier in the evening, Alves had made advances towards them and flirted. They added that the woman had originally been reluctant to file a complaint because she thought no one would take her seriously.
After Alves was formally charged in August, a judge determined that there was sufficient proof to confirm his trial.
