Dani Alves Sentenced to Prison for Sexual Assault

The High Court of Catalonia has convicted former Brazilian football player Dani Alves on Thursday for sexually assaulting a woman in a nightclub in Barcelona in 2022, sentencing him to four and a half years in prison. The court stated in a press release: "The penalty was issued after it was established that the victim did not consent, and there is evidence in addition to the plaintiff's testimony which confirms the rape." The court also ordered Dani Alves to pay 150,000 euros (162,990 dollars) to the victim. Alves claimed that he "had consensual sex with the victim." The prosecutor had sought a nine-year prison sentence. The 40-year-old former Barcelona defender was arrested in January of last year in the Spanish city and has been detained since then. The case has attracted significant public attention not only because of Alves's fame but also due to the growing importance of sexual assault issues in Spanish public discourse. It is one of the most prominent trials in Spain since the introduction of a law in 2022 that made consent a fundamental element in sexual assault cases, increasing the minimum prison sentence for assaults involving violence.