Dani Alves to testify in last day of rape trial after ex said former Barcelona ace ‘stank of booze’ on night of ‘attack’
EX Barcelona star Dani Alves is set to testify before a court on the last day of his trial for the alleged rape of a woman.
The 40-year-old defender had his chance to speak after the alleged victim’s testimony and other witnesses’ -including his ex-wife Joana Sanz who said he rang her “drunk” from the nightclub that night.
The Brazilian footballer is accused of raping a woman in the toilet of Sutton nightclub in Barcelona on December 30, 2022.
He has denied any wrongdoing.
State prosecutors are seeking for him to be jailed for nine years if convicted while the lawyers representing his accuser want 12 years.
Alves was escorted in handcuffs into the small courtroom of Barcelona’s Audiencia Provincial Court for the trial that is expected to conclude today.
A verdict normally takes weeks to be delivered.
The alleged victim testified on Monday behind closed doors on order of the court.
State prosecutors asked for the court to take extra measures to protect her identity after a video circulated on social media last month that allegedly identified the woman.
During the first day of the footballer’s trial a friend and cousin of his accuser claimed he also groped them in the VIP area.
The two women claim he then invited their friend, the alleged rape victim, to follow him through a separate door after flirting with her.
The dad-of-two has previously confirmed he had sex with a woman in the nightclub’s toilet but insisted it was consensual.
His ex-wife Joana Sanz told the court Alves Sanz told the court Alves “smelled of alcohol” and “he bumped into several pieces of furniture and collapsed on the bed” after arriving home the night of the alleged assault.
But she said she didn’t want to talk to him because of “the state he was in”.
Alves initially claimed he had never met his female accuser before telling a judge in a court hearing he had lied to cover up his “marital infidelity.”
The footballer was ordered to stand trial last November.
He was sacked by Mexican side UNAM Pumas following his arrest after he flew back to Barcelona to attend his mother-in-law’s funeral.
He has made repeated bail requests but they have all been turned down, with judges saying his alleged victim’s version of events was coherent and pointing out Alves had changed his story several times as the evidence authorities have against him has emerged.
As well as two spells at Barcelona, Alves has played for Seville, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Sao Paulo.
He is widely considered one of the greatest full-backs of all time and became the oldest player to represent Brazil at the World Cup in December 2022 in Qatar.
Timeline of Dani Alves's case
December 30, 2022: A woman alleges she was sexually assaulted in the toilets of Sutton nightclub
January 1, 2023: Cops in Barcelona are investigating an alleged sexual assault in a nightclub involving Dani Alves.
January 5, 2023: Dani Alves’s alleged victim makes a formal complaint claiming she was sexually assaulted
CCTV footage shows Alves had been alone for 47 seconds in a toilet at the nightclub with his accuser
January 20, 2023: Alves had been remanded in custody by a judge in Barcelona
He initially denies ever meeting his accuser but later confirms they had sex in the nightclub’s toilets – but insists was consensual
January 31, 2023: His wife Joana Sanz, 29, demands divorce
February 8, 2023: It emerges that Alves is said to be receiving ‘VIP treatment’ in prison
March 17, 2023: Alves is going on hunger strike following split from wife
November 14, 2023: The footballer is ordered to stand trial for the alleged assault
November 24, 2023: Prosecutors demand nine years jail time and to pay the alleged victim £130,000, if found guilty
February 5, 2024: Alves appears in court in Spain facing twelve years in jail
February 6 2024: Joana Sanz testified in court about a “drunk” phone call her husband made to her after the alleged assault