Trial of Dani Alves for Sexual Assault Begins

The trial of Dani Alves, who was accused of sexual violence last year, began this morning. The former Juventus full-back was taken to court in Barcelona in a police van along with other detainees. Since January 2023, the Brazilian has been held in custody as a precaution, with his future being decided today. The public prosecutor, as reported by O Jogo, is asking for 9 years in prison while the victim's lawyers are asking for 12, which is the maximum sentence. In 2022, the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain player was accused of sexual violence by a girl. The two met in a nightclub in the Catalan city and allegedly had sexual intercourse in the bathroom. The DNA traces found on the victim's intimate parts implicated Dani Alves, who initially denied everything. Then, the Brazilian revised his statements admitting that he had lied to avoid shocking his wife, model Joana Sanz, who asked for a divorce. Finally, the former Juve player admitted to having had a relationship with the victim, always asserting its consensuality. The presidency of the Barcelona Court has rejected the request to cancel the trial submitted by the defense of footballer Dani Alves, accused of the alleged rape of a 23-year-old girl. The public prosecutor and the civil party opposed the cancellation request, alleging that the victim suffered media exposure damage, caused by the dissemination on social networks of the identity and images of the young woman, made by Dani Alves' mother, currently under investigation in another branch of the investigation, reports the Europa Press agency. The trial resumed with the closed-door interrogation of the victim, protected by a screen and with a distorted voice, to protect her privacy. The deposition of the Brazilian footballer has been set for the end of the trial, scheduled for Wednesday, with the court accepting the request in this sense advanced by Alves' defense, to examine evidence not included in those collected during the investigation.