The Catalan Prosecutor’s Office has announced plans to appeal the acquittal of Brazilian football star Dani Alves, who was cleared of rape charges last week. Before the case can be reviewed, Spain’s Supreme Court in Madrid must agree to hear the appeal.
On Friday, a Spanish court of appeal ruled that there was “insufficient evidence” to dismiss Alves’ presumption of innocence. The decision came more than a year after a February 2024 verdict found the former Barcelona defender guilty of raping a woman in a nightclub bathroom in December 2022.
Alves, who was sentenced to four years and six months in prison, has denied any wrongdoing. His lawyer, Inés Guardiola, welcomed the acquittal, telling Catalan radio RAC1, “Dani Alves is innocent, and that has been proven. Justice has finally been served.”
However, the accuser maintains that Alves prevented her from leaving the bathroom, slapped her, insulted her, and forced her into non-consensual sex.
The trial was a landmark case under Spain’s revised rape laws, which were introduced in 2022 after the notorious “wolf pack” case, in which a group of men filmed themselves attacking an 18-year-old woman during the 2016 San Fermin festival in Pamplona. The case initially led to convictions on lesser charges, sparking national outrage before the Supreme Court later upgraded their sentences.
While the legal battle over Alves’ case continues, he has already spent 14 months in prison since his initial conviction.
Related topics: