The top court in Spain's Catalonia region said on Friday it had overturned the conviction of Brazilian soccer player Dani Alves for sexual assault on appeal, saying the original ruling presented "inconsistencies and contradictions".
Former Barcelona and Brazil defender Dani Alves was formally indicted on Wednesday on charges of sexual assault of a woman in a Barcelona nightclub in December.
The former Barcelona, Juventus and PSG defender had been held at Brians 2 since January 2023. He was convicted on February 22 of raping the woman in a Barcelona nightclub's restroom and ordered to pay her 150,000 euros. He has appealed against the conviction, which was not final.
The public prosecutor has accused Alves of forcing the woman to have sex without her consent and without using a condom. The 23-year-old woman testified behind a screen with her voice distorted to protect her identity.
Barcelona right back Dani Alves has completed his move to Italian champions Juventus on a two-year contract, the Turin-based club said on Monday. The 33-year-old Brazilian had earlier announced he would leave Barca as a free agent after eight successful seasons, during which he won 23 titles.
The three-judge panel denied a request by Alves's lawyer Ines Guardiola for the trial to be suspended on the basis that he was not given enough time to prepare for his first police interview after his arrest and had suffered a parallel trial by media.
Alves joined Barcelona from Sevilla in 2008 and made 391 appearances, becoming a regular under ex-managers Pep Guardiola, Tito Vilanova, Tata Martino and Luis Enrique before leaving for Juventus in 2016.
News of that transpired on and off the football field
Barcelona defender Dani Alves, who was victim of racism during a La Liga match against Villareal on Sunday, found support from his football colleagues from all over world as they showed their solidarity on social networking websites on Tuesday.
Dani Alves faces charges of sexual assault of a woman in a Barcelona nightclub last December.
A Spanish prosecutor is seeking a prison term of nine years for former Barcelona and Brazil soccer player Dani Alves who is due to stand trial on charges of sexual assault against a woman.
Alves had maintained the sex was consensual. The prosecutor was seeking a nine-year prison term.
Dani Alves has blamed the media for Brazil's unsuccessful World Cup campaign but conceded that the team did not prepare properly ahead of the humiliating 7-1 defeat by Germany in the semi-final.
The court also imposed a restraining order barring Alves from coming within 1,000 metres (3,300 feet) of the victim.
Alves had previously denied any sexual encounter with the woman who filed a complaint in January about an alleged sexual assault in a restroom at an exclusive Barcelona nightclub.
Dani Alves, who has denied any wrongdoing, was taken to the Brians 1 jail outside Barcelona.
Spanish court rejects Brazil footballer's Dani Alves appeal against remand over sex claim
"I have already made my decision but will not disclose until game time," Tite said.
Brazil's Neymar said on Friday he was unsure if he would play again for the national team after their heartbreaking World Cup quarter-final defeat to Croatia on penalties.
Starting full-backs Danilo and Alex Sandro have been sidelined by injuries suffered earlier in the competition and their availability is still unclear for Monday.
"Neymar and Messi are unique: they see and do things nobody else sees or can do. A great player must know and understand who he plays with, your teammates enrich your qualities."
World No.1 Serena Williams has held on to her top position in the latest women's tennis rankings issued by the WTA.
Real Madrid's Thibaut Courtois, Federico Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga and Vinicius Jr have tested positive for COVID-19.
After the game ended 1-1 in normal time, Malcom raced onto a diagonal ball from Antony and got the better of Jesus Vallejo before driving the winner into the far corner in the 108th minute to ensure Brazil repeated their Rio 2016 triumph.
The win moved Barcelona up to fourth place on 38 points from 22 games
Their stunning football has been a pleasure to watch for both fans and neutrals this season.
"We, those who play in the back end, often joke that we feel sorry for our rivals because we can replace Raphinha for Antony, Richalison for Gabriel Jesus. We have Rodrygo, Gabriel Martinelli."
Atletico Madrid have recorded five COVID-19 positives, including manager Diego Simeone
Barcelona defender Dani Alves launched a foul-mouthed tirade on social media on Friday over football coverage by the Spanish press.
City completed the treble of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup titles, matching Manchester United's feat in 1999 and drawing comparisons with Guardiola's 2008-09 Barcelona team.
Cristiano Ronaldo tops the list with an estimated earnings of 1.8 million pounds.
Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri is confident Paul Pogba will stay put at the club despite talks about the French midfielder leaving for England or Spain.
Capturing the drama on Day 11 at the Tokyo Olympics.
Players from European champions Barcelona made up nearly half of UEFA's Team of the Year which was revealed on Friday, while Cristiano Ronaldo made the lineup for a record 10th time. Eight players from La Liga were included in the final XI, voted for by 7.2 million UEFA.com users from a 40-strong shortlist. Lionel Messi, Dani Alves, Gerard Pique, Andres Iniesta and Neymar were the Barcelona players included, while Real Madrid provided Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos and James Rodriguez.
'Will I be playing at Barca next season? It's an unknown'
The sporting world has once again witnessed two racist episodes in two different continents on the same day. Here is the fall out of it all...
Barcelona's Brazil right back Dani Alves has decided to leave the Nou Camp after eight years with the Spanish champions, the club said on Thursday.
Real Madrid's Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo was crowned the best soccer player in the world for the second year running at FIFA's The Best awards gala on Monday.
Brazil are looking to send a message to supporters and rivals in the World Cup's opening match, right back Dani Alves said on Monday, raising the stakes for the clash against Croatia.
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