The most successful footballer in history, the Brazilian, former Barça and PSG, is in preventive detention near Barcelona after the accusation of rape in a nightclub made against him by a young woman.
The small town of Sant Esteve Sesrovires, about forty kilometers from Barcelona, emerged from anonymity thanks to the media coverage of its most famous citizen, the singer Rosalía. For the past week, the municipality has been attracting media attention for another reason: the Brians 2 detention center, which is located there, is home to Brazilian footballer Dani Alves. The Brazilian international (he played two matches at the last World Cup in Qatar, against Cameroon and South Korea), is in preventive detention for “alleged offense of sexual assault”, a title which, in the Spanish penal code, includes rape.
With 43 titles won in his career, under the jerseys of Sevilla FC, FC Barcelona, Paris Saint Germain or Juventus of Turin, Dani Alves has, at 39, the most beautiful record in the history of football: three Champions Leagues, two UEFA cups, six Spanish champion titles, a national title in France and another in Italy, a gold medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Japan… The only thing missing from its window is the trophy of world champion.
The jet-set nightclub
Back from Qatar, where he became the oldest Brazilian to have participated in a World Cup, Alves spent a few days in Barcelona, where he still has many ties. On the night of December 30 to 31, he went with one of his relatives, a Mexican cook, to the Sutton, a nightclub in the Catalan capital frequented by the jet-set. On January 10, when he had already joined his current club, the Pumas of Unam in Mexico, a Spanish court announced the opening of an investigation for sexual assault, after the filing of a complaint by a young woman. eight days earlier.
The former number 15 of Barça returns to Spain to respond to the judge’s summons and denies the facts with which he is accused. He invokes consensual sex, but his version of how the evening unfolded is confused. Last Friday, the judge decided on his placement in pre-trial detention without the possibility of release on bail. The risk is indeed high that he will leave the country to escape prosecution. Upon learning of his imprisonment, his Mexican club terminated his contract which was to end in June.
The account given by former employees of the nightclub in the Catalan media sheds light on the context of these evenings where sports, music or social media celebrities sometimes pay several thousand euros for a bottle of alcohol. VIPs partying in their reserved area ask the staff to find girls for them. The waiters choose young and pretty people from the room and let them know that they are invited to the privileged area. How to refuse?
Hand on the crotch
According to the complainant, aged 23, and her two companions, once seated next to the athlete, the latter began to fiddle with them, which they defended themselves against. Undeterred, Dani Alves would then have taken the hand of one of the women to put it on his crotch. New negative reaction, but the footballer ignores it. Shortly after, he manages to corner one of the three women in a cramped bathroom and lock the door.
The victim, still according to his testimony, tries to get out and receives a volley of blows which throw him to the ground. Knee injuries will be noted by the medical report. After having tried in vain to impose oral sex on her, the player would have raped the young woman by using his physical force. Then would have ordered him to wait until he had left the disco before going out in turn.
The victim would then have told his martyrdom to his friends and warned the staff who activate the protocol against sexist violence in force in places of nocturnal entertainment: the Mossos d’Esquadra (the regional police) are immediately alerted. According to the judge who heard both parties before deciding on incarceration, Dani Alves’ explanations were confused and contradictory, while the victim’s account, which did not vary, is supported by medical examinations.
Defended by “Harry Potter”
In Brians prison, the defendant was placed in a cell occupied by a fellow Brazilian, also accused of a sexual offence. The ex-international changed lawyers this week and hired a celebrity from the bar, Cristobal Martell, nicknamed «Harry Potter» for his supposed magical powers at the time of defending his clients. Among which Lionel Messi, whose cause he pleaded in the face of accusations from the Spanish tax authorities, or FC Barcelona, in his financial conflict with Neymar Jr. The lawyer wishes to delve into the file before, next week, to file a request of conditional release.
The setbacks of the defender have a wide impact in Spain but also in his country. The plaintiff’s lawyer, Ester García López, gave a long interview to the Brazilian site UOL, where she claims that her client refused a financial arrangement.
Off the field, Alves had forged an image of anti-racist commitment. In 2014, in the jersey of FC Barcelona, he had received a banana on the head while taking a corner on the ground of Villarreal. He had diverted this racist behavior by peeling and eating the fruit, a gesture which had been applauded around the world. In 2019, he tackled President Jair Bolsonaro on social networks for his homophobic and misogynistic remarks. But he finally gave him his support during the presidential election of 2022.
On Wednesday, a man who had just left Brians 2 prison after serving a fourteen-year prison sentence showed the cameras of the Spanish channel Telecinco his parting gift: a faded FC Barcelona jersey, but adorned with the dedication “Lovely hug”, with a smiling face and the signature of Dani Alves.