Spanish football continues to reel from the news that Dani Alves was taken into custody by the Catalan police on Friday. The Brazilian footballer is being investigated under suspicion of sexual assault.
Wife Joana Sanz has been strong in her support for Alves on social media, with Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez getting into hot water for his comments on the matter.
Now his ex-wife, Dana Dinorah, has gone on Spanish channel Telecinco to defend Alves. Marca carried the quotes.
“I have not had access to him. I know he is sad, but he is fine and I will do whatever it takes to help him. It is a shock and for my children, who are teenagers, and they are having a very bad time. His family is overwhelmed because they want to see him and they can’t access him. His lawyer tells me he’s working on the case.”
Dinorah seemed to think it was inconceivable that Alves could be responsible for a such an act.
“Dani would never, ever, ever do this. Never. I’m telling you because I’ve known him for 22 years and I’ve been married to him for ten. It seems like it’s a nightmare and that it’s not [really] happening.”
The 39-year-old has had his contract with Mexican side Pumas terminated already, with the club stating they did not want to be associated with such acts. In addition, Alves has reportedly asked to change his testimony on multiple occasions, as a number of gruesome details emerge.
Naturally, the case is still ongoing and it is impossible to say whether Alves is innocent or not. However what is clear is that those closest to him have been caught completely off guard by the accusations.