Former Brazil and Barcelona footballer Dani Alves has successfully appealed his sexual assault conviction, as a Spanish court overturned the ruling on Friday due to insufficient evidence.
The 40-year-old ex-right-back had been found guilty in February 2024 of assaulting a woman at a nightclub in Barcelona on New Year’s Eve in 2022. He was sentenced to four years and six months in prison but consistently denied any wrongdoing throughout the three-day trial.
Alves was released from custody in March 2024 while awaiting the outcome of his appeal to a higher court. On Friday, the Barcelona-based appeals court ruled unanimously in his favor, stating that the available evidence was not strong enough to override his presumption of innocence.
The judges emphasized that the plaintiff’s testimony varied significantly from video footage recorded before she and Alves entered the bathroom where the alleged incident occurred. This discrepancy led the court to overturn the initial conviction.
Alves, one of the most decorated footballers in history, has won numerous titles with top clubs such as Barcelona, Juventus, and Paris Saint-Germain. He was also instrumental in Brazil‘s success, securing two Copa América titles and an Olympic gold medal at the age of 38. The 2022 FIFA World Cup was his third appearance in the tournament, which remains the only major international trophy he has not won.
At the time of his arrest, Alves was playing for Mexican club Pumas, who swiftly terminated his contract following the allegations.
His case gained widespread attention as it was the first high-profile sexual assault trial since Spain implemented a legal reform in 2022, known as the “only yes means yes” law. This legislation was introduced in response to public outrage over the 2016 San Fermín festival gang-rape case in Pamplona. The law redefined consent in sexual assault cases, requiring explicit agreement from all parties involved and clarifying that silence or passivity does not constitute consent.
