This Monday, 5 February, the rape trial against Dani Alves, a professional footballer who has played for top clubs including Barcelona, PSG and the Brazilian national team, began. Alves faces a nine-year prison sentence, as requested by the prosecution, and must also pay €150,000 ($162,000) in compensation to the woman who accused him of raping her in a Barcelona nightclub. The trial is expected to conclude on Wednesday. 

The footballer has been in jail since 20 January 2023. A woman accused him of raping her in a bathroom of the exclusive Sutton nightclub in Barcelona in the early hours of 31 December 2022. In his statements, Alves said they had consensual sex. He had initially denied knowing the woman in a television interview.

According to the prosecution, Alves, who was on holiday in Barcelona after playing for Brazil at the World Cup in Qatar, offered the young woman and her friend champagne. Alves then allegedly invited the woman to a small area of the nightclub. 

The woman claimed she had no idea it was a toilet. Once inside, the footballer became "violent" and forced her to have sex with him. She resisted, the court heard.

"The victim asked him several times to let her go. She said she wanted to leave, but the defendant prevented her from doing so," prosecutors said, describing a "situation of fear and terror" for the young woman. The woman, who received medical attention after leaving the nightclub, is being treated for post-traumatic stress, prosecutors added.

Alves' legal team has lost a battle to keep the trial behind closed doors. The media and the public will not be present when the accuser testifies. Her identity has never been revealed.

In one of Alves' testimonies, the Brazilian told Barcelona's La Vanguardia newspaper in June that he had initially lied about knowing his accuser because he was afraid his wife would leave him if he admitted to his relationship with another woman. He initially denied knowing the woman because he did not want to be found out about his alleged infidelity.

During the time the Brazilian has been in prison awaiting trial, Spanish courts have repeatedly rejected requests to release Alves. The main reason given by the judges was the risk of absconding to Brazil. Brazil does not extradite its nationals. In Spain, a guilty plea is recognised as long as it is made before the start of the trial, which could have reduced the sentence. This would have made it possible to reduce the sentence and opt for a lighter one.

The defendant's lawyer denied in November that such an agreement had been reached. However, he admitted that "discussions" had taken place. 

Alves is one of football's most decorated players. He has won 42 trophies, including three Champions Leagues with Barcelona and two Copa America titles with Brazil. Alves, who has also spells with Italian giants Juventus and Sevilla, was playing for Mexican club Pumas UNAM at the time of the alleged incidents.