Dani Alves’ Friend Testifies About Alcohol Consumption In Rape Trial

Ex-Brazilian international Dani Alves allegedly consumed a significant amount of alcohol before entering a Barcelona nightclub, where he stands accused of raping a young woman, a friend revealed during the second day of the footballer’s trial.

At a Barcelona court session, approximately 20 witnesses testified, shedding light on Alves’s level of intoxication and the distress experienced by the alleged victim following the purported assault.

The trial commenced with the victim providing testimony for over an hour behind a screen, shielded from direct visual contact with Alves, in a closed-door session.

Alves, renowned for his illustrious football career with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, faces allegations of sexually assaulting a woman in a VIP section of Barcelona’s Sutton nightclub in the early hours of December 31, 2022. He has been detained since his arrest three weeks after the incident and vehemently denies all charges.

Testimonies on Tuesday included accounts from police officers describing the victim’s agitation and shock upon their arrival at the nightclub, as well as her concern that she wouldn’t be believed if she filed a complaint.

Earlier, the victim’s friend and cousin, who were present at the nightclub, recounted her distressed state after fleeing the bathroom.

In court, Alves appeared clad in a grey jumper, dark trousers, and trainers, handcuffed to a police officer, maintaining a silent demeanor in the front row.

A pivotal testimony came from Alves’s Brazilian friend, Bruno, who attested, through a Portuguese translator, to Alves’s consumption of substantial alcohol in various bars leading up to their nightclub visit.

Bruno recounted inviting three young women to join their table in the VIP area and observed Alves and the victim engaging in what he described as respectful interaction. He noted seeing Alves and the woman enter the bathroom together, after which Alves resumed dancing without discussing the incident.

Alves’s wife, Joana Sanz, testified briefly, indicating that she was legally married to the footballer and was at their Barcelona residence on the night in question. She noted Alves’s alcohol odor upon his return home, his stumbling into furniture, and subsequent collapse on the bed.

Alves is scheduled to testify on the trial’s final day, vehemently maintaining that the encounter was consensual. The prosecution seeks a nine-year jail term followed by 10 years of probation, along with a 150,000 euros ($162,000) compensation payment.

During Monday’s proceedings, the victim’s testimony was recorded anonymously to safeguard her identity from exposure.

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