Neymar Santos, the father of Brazilian striker Neymar, denied today that his family would pay bail for football player Dani Alves, who was convicted of rape in Spain, to be temporarily released from prison. In a statement posted on social media, Santos said: "I hope that Daniel finds the answers he's looking for alongside his family. For us; for my family, the case is over." This response came from Neymar's father regarding speculation trying to link his name and his son's name to a case that no longer concerns them.
Santos acknowledged that he assisted Alves before the verdict but emphasized that he is now dealing with a "different case," as his son's former teammate has been convicted of the crime and sentenced to four and a half years in prison. In an interview last January with CNN Brazil, Neymar's father mentioned that he was funding "his friend" Alves' defense because he still assumed he was innocent and because he refused to participate in a "pretrial" against the player.
The former Barcelona player will have to spend another night in jail after failing to pay one million euros yesterday, the amount set by the Barcelona court as bail for his temporary release. The court's ruling also includes an obligation for him to surrender his passports—both Spanish and Brazilian—and prohibits him from leaving Spain or coming within a thousand meters of the victim's home, workplace, or any other locations she might frequent.
Brazil's Minister for Women, Sida Gonçalves, stated yesterday that the Spanish judiciary "failed" to grant Alves temporary freedom because "no bail can compensate for the immense brutality that rape represents in a woman's life."
