Dani Alves wins appeal as Spanish court overturns sexual assault conviction

Dani Alves has successfully appealed his sexual assault conviction, with a Spanish court overturning the previous ruling.

The former Brazil and Barcelona star was initially found guilty in February 2024 of raping a woman in a nightclub in December 2022 and was sentenced to four years and six months in prison.

Alves, who denied any wrongdoing throughout the three-day trial, was released from prison in March 2024 while awaiting the outcome of his appeal.

On Friday, the higher court ruled that there was “insufficient evidence” to uphold his conviction, citing the principle of presumption of innocence.

Alves was released from prison in March after his defense deposited a €1 million bail. The bail had been set at the request of Alves’ defense while all parties awaited the outcome of the appeals.

Alves was arrested by local police in January 2023 as part of an investigation into an alleged sexual assault at a nightclub in Barcelona

As part of his bail conditions, Alves was prohibited from leaving the country and had to surrender both his Spanish and Brazilian passports to Spanish authorities.

Before his release on bail, Alves had spent 14 months in the Brians 2 prison in Catalonia.

Alves was arrested by local police in January 2023 as part of an investigation into an alleged sexual assault at a nightclub in Barcelona.

The Spanish public prosecutor’s office claimed that Alves sexually assaulted a 23-year-old woman at the Sutton nightclub, a charge he has repeatedly denied.