Dani Alves faces new trial in Spain

A spokesperson for the Spanish Public Prosecutor's Office announced that former Barcelona and Brazil international Dani Alves is facing a new trial after the prosecution appealed his acquittal in a sexual assault case. Alves had previously been acquitted by the Catalan High Court, but the prosecution appealed this ruling and brought the case to the Supreme Court in Madrid. In March 2024, the Catalan Supreme Court upheld Alves' appeal against a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence after he was convicted in February 2024 of assaulting a woman at a Barcelona nightclub in December 2022. The Catalan Supreme Court found "gaps" and inaccuracies in the case that led to the player's acquittal. The prosecution appealed this ruling to the Supreme Court, asserting that the previous decision damaged the victim's credibility and citing arbitrary interpretations of the biological tests performed on the victim. Alves spent 14 months in prison before being released on bail in March 2024, and the legal proceedings are expected to continue until a final decision is made by the Supreme Court in Madrid.