A court in Barcelona has overturned the verdict of football player Alves in a sexual assault case.

The Supreme Court of Catalonia on Friday, March 28, overturned the verdict of Brazilian football player Dani Alves on charges of sexual assault.

"The Appeals Division of the Supreme Court of Catalonia has unanimously granted the appeal of the football player who was sentenced...> to four years and six months in prison for sexually assaulting a young woman in a Barcelona nightclub on December 31, 2022," the court's website says.

It is noted that the indictment of the lower instance has significant drawbacks. In particular, the court that found Alves guilty did not study the applicant's story well enough and did not compare it with the evidence of the football player's innocence provided by the defense.

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New facts have been revealed during the trial.

In January 2023, a 23-year-old girl, whose name was not disclosed, filed a police report against Alves. She accused him of sexual assault in a nightclub in Barcelona. The court imposed a preventive measure on Alves in the form of detention, refusing to release him on bail.

A year later, the footballer was found guilty and sentenced to four and a half years in prison with a five-year probation period. In addition, he had to pay 150,000 euros in compensation, as well as cover all legal costs. Alves was later released after paying a €1 million bail.