How Brazllian football icon Dani Alves ended up in a Spanish prison

Dani Alves, a FC Barcelona and  Brazilian national team legend was arrested last Friday, January 20, by police in Barcelona, accused of an alleged sexual assault on a woman.

The footballer turned himself in at a Barcelona police station, following a complaint filed by a woman who claims that she was the victim of an attack by the footballer, the Spanish ABC newspaper reported.

The complainant states that the 39-year-old footballer raped her at the Sutton nightclub in Barcelona. According to the newspaper El País, he invited her to a drink in the VIP area, then took her to the bathroom where he locked her in a cubicle where committed the violent act. The alleged assault is said to have occurred on December 30, 2022.

Dani Alves, who was contracted to Mexican team Club Universidad Nacional, was on Christmas vacation at the time. 

According to the complainant and reported by ABC, the football player put his hand inside her underwear. Two female friends who were with the alleged victim then alerted security staff who called the police, themirror.co.uk reported. 

From there, the Barcelona City Council acted under protocol against attacks and harassment in nightlife spaces that, 20 days later, led to Dani Alves's arrest. 

Dani Alves had to fly from Mexico, where is currently based, to give a statement and give his version of events, according to ABC. He asked his club for permission to be absent from the game on Saturday 21 January, stating that he was going to Barcelona for his mother-in-law's funeral.

After attending the police station on Friday, January 20, the footballer left the station but was arrested inside a vehicle outside. 

Dani Alves was brought before a judge and she decided his fate: prison until trial. His team, the Club Universidad Nacional (also known as Pumas) terminated the contract with the soccer player upon learning of his imprisonment.

Before his statement to the police and his imprisonment, Dani Alves defended his innocence in a video that he sent to the Spanish television program 'Y Ahora Sonsoles': "I'm very sorry, but I don't know who that lady is. I don't know who she is, I've never seen her in my life."

In the video, Dani Alves assured: "In all these years I have never invaded someone's personal space, much less without consent, how am I going to do it with a woman or a girl… by God, no," newspaper El País reported.

The Prosecutor's Office demanded provisional detention for the footballer and the judge in charge of the case agreed. She sentenced Dani Alves to jail without bail until this delicate case is investigated. Dani Alves will remain imprisoned in Spain until further notice.