Earlier this week, Dani Alves was convicted of sexual assault, and was handed a four and a half year prison sentence. The former Barcelona, Sevilla and Brazil defender has been in jail since his arrest in January 2023 over an incident that took place one month prior. His trial took place earlier in February, and a guilty verdict was returned.
Alves’ legal team has already announced that they will be appealing the decision, and there could now be a further twist in the tale. As La Vanguardia (via Relevo) have reported, the 40-year-old has won a previous case over alleged payments to a FIFA agent, and this will see him compensated with €1.2m.
Alves is hoping that these funds can be used towards organising his temporary release, which would be until the verdict on his appeal is reached. Part of this money could be used as a guarantee to show that he would not flee the country during this bail period.
It’s worth nothing that Alves’ ex-cellmate has claimed that he would leave Spain and never return in the event that he is temporary released from prison. It’s not yet known whether this could play a part in the court’s decision.
