Ex-Barcelona Star Dani Alves Has Rape Conviction Overturned

A Spanish appeals court overturned Friday former Brazil international footballer Dani Alves' rape conviction, citing insufficient evidence. Alves was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail in February last year for raping a young woman in the VIP bathroom of a Barcelona nightclub on December 31, 2022.

The 41-year-old, who won the Champions League three-times with Barcelona, was released from jail last March pending his appeal after he posted the one million euros ($1.1million) bail set by the court. The Barcelona-based appeals court said its four judges had "unanimously" accepted the player's appeal and "annulled" his conviction, saying there was "insufficient evidence" to prove he was guilty.

His trial contained "a series of gaps, inaccuracies, inconsistencies, and contradictions regarding the facts, the legal assessment, and its consequences," the court said in its ruling.