Former Brazil international Dani Alves has made headlines once again, this time for returning €150,000 to the father of his former teammate Neymar Jr. The money was initially given to Alves to assist in his defence against a sexual assault charge, for which he was ultimately convicted. Alves, who is currently on bail pending an appeal, sent the money back last week, according to his lawyer, Inés Guardiola.
Alves, now 40 years old, was sentenced to 4½ years in prison on February 22 after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in a Barcelona nightclub back in 2022. Despite being released on bail after making a €1 million payment, he is still awaiting the outcome of his appeal. Interestingly, there were rumors in March suggesting that Neymar Sr. had also assisted Alves in posting the bail, but those claims were later refuted.
Following 14 months of incarceration pending his trial, Alves was granted bail just one month after his sentencing, with strict release conditions. Along with surrendering his Brazilian and Spanish passports, Alves is prohibited from leaving the country and must check-in weekly at the courthouse. Despite objections from the victim’s legal team, a Barcelona court recently rejected an appeal to revoke his bail, maintaining his current status.
Legal Battle and Sentencing Requests
As the case progresses, Alves’ defense team is fighting for his acquittal, while prosecutors are pushing for an increase in his prison sentence to nine years. On the other hand, the victim’s lawyer is advocating for a 12-year prison term for the former footballer. With no specified date for the appeal trial, the future of Dani Alves remains uncertain amidst these legal battles.