Dani Alves should remain in custody for alleged sexual misconduct: Court

Barcelona’s provincial court decided on Tuesday that former Barcelona and Brazil star Dani Alves will remain in custody pending trial for allegedly raping a woman because he is considered a high flight risk. “There is a high risk of absconding, linked on the one hand to the high sentence that could be imposed because of the present case, the serious evidence of criminality against him and the large financial resources that would allow him to leave Spain at any time,” ” The court said in a statement. The court believes that taking the 39-year-old’s passport will not prevent him from leaving Spain “by air or sea or even by land without documents”.

The court believes that if he returns to his homeland of Brazil, he will not be handed over to Spain as the South American country does not usually extradite its citizens.

The public prosecutor’s office opposed his release.

On 2 January, a young woman alleged that Alves had raped her in the bathroom of a Barcelona nightclub in late December.

The player, who initially denied knowing her, changed his story several times but later said they had a consensual relationship, according to sources close to the matter.

Alves is on trial for the alleged offense of sexual assault – which includes rape in the Spanish Penal Code.

The investigating judge ordered on 20 January that he be remanded in custody without bail, noting, among other things, the contradictions in his initial statements and the high risk of absconding.

Alves was sacked by his club Pumas UNAM in Mexico following his arrest.

In a hugely successful career, Alves made 408 appearances for Barcelona, ​​391 of which came in his first spell during 2008–2016.

During that initial stint, he won six La Liga titles, three Champions League crowns and four Copa del Rey trophies.

At last year’s World Cup final in Qatar, he became the oldest player to represent Brazil in football’s showpiece tournament.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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