Dani Alves wins appeal as Spanish Court overturns rape conviction

Spanish court overturns Dani Alves' rape conviction, citing insufficient evidence to dismiss presumption of innocence.

Former Barcelona and Brazil defender Dani Alves has won his appeal against a sexual assault conviction, as a Spanish court overturned the ruling on Friday, citing insufficient evidence.

Alves, 40, was sentenced in February 2024 to four years and six months in prison after being found guilty of assaulting a woman in a Barcelona nightclub on New Year’s Eve in 2022. The former right-back denied any wrongdoing throughout the trial and was released on bail in March 2024 while awaiting his appeal.

The Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Catalunya (TSJC) ruled that the evidence presented was not enough to dismiss Alves’ presumption of innocence. "The testimony of the victim is not sufficient to maintain the conviction of the accused, and in this case, the presumption of innocence prevails," the court stated.

The ruling highlighted inconsistencies in the initial verdict, citing surveillance footage that showed a level of familiarity between Alves and the complainant before the alleged incident. The TSJC also noted that the Barcelona court, which initially convicted Alves, did not consider all available evidence and placed excessive weight on the complainant's testimony.

The decision nullifies the previous ruling, dismisses the prosecution’s appeal to increase Alves’ sentence, and lifts all legal restrictions against him.

Alves, a multiple-time La Liga and Champions League winner with Barcelona, also represented Brazil in three World Cups and won Copa América titles. His last club was Mexico’s Pumas, who terminated his contract following his arrest.

The case was the first high-profile trial under Spain’s revised sexual assault laws, introduced in response to the 2016 Pamplona gang-rape case. The ruling has sparked debate over the interpretation of consent and the legal standards for sexual assault convictions.