A former star for Brazil and Barcelona, Dani Alves, will remain in detention as he awaits his alleged rape trial after the Provincial Court of Barcelona concluded on Tuesday that he poses a significant flight risk.
“There is an elevated risk of absconding, linked on the one hand to the high sentence that could be imposed because of the present case, the serious evidence of criminality against him and large financial resources that would allow him to leave Spain at any time,” the court said in a statement.
The court believes that seizing the 39-year-passport old’s will not prevent him from fleeing Spain “via air, sea, or even land without paperwork.”
If he returns to his native Brazil, the court believes he will not be turned up to Spain because the South American country does not normally extradite its people.
His discharge was opposed by the public prosecutor’s office.
On January 2, a young woman claimed that Alves raped her in the restroom of a Barcelona nightclub at the end of December.
According to sources close to the case, the athlete, who initially denied knowing her, revised his account many times before admitting to having consensual encounters with her.
Alves is on trial for the accused crime of sexual assault, which includes rape under Spanish law.
On January 20, the investigating magistrate ruled that he be held in detention without bail, citing, among other things, the discrepancies in his initial statements and the high risk of absconding.
Upon his arrest, Alves was fired by his Mexican team, Pumas UNAM.
Alves made 408 appearances for Barcelona during his extremely successful career, with 391 of those coming during his first tenure from 2008 to 2016.
During his first spell, he won six La Liga titles, three Champions Leagues, and four Copa del Reys.
He made history as the oldest player to represent Brazil at the World Cup finals in Qatar last year.
