Barcelona legend Dani Alves' r*pe trial begins in Spain - Reports
According to the BBC, Barcelona legend Dani Alves' r*pe trial has begun in Spain. This comes after he was accused of r*ping a woman in a nightclub in December 2022.
Dani Alves has been in pre-trial custody for over a year. If he is found guilty, the Blaugrana legend could end up facing up to 12 years' imprisonment.
Before the start of this trial, he reportedly initially denied meeting the accuser. However, he later allegedly changed his testimony, stating that he had consensual s*x with her. However, the accuser reportedly stated that Dani Alves violently assaulted her in the club, testifying to the court on the first day of the trial.
A friend and a cousin of the accuser were both in court to testify as witnesses, corroborating her story. It is expected that throughout the trial, some 30 people will share testimonies in court, including Dani Alves.
The prosecution in the case are reportedly pushing for a nine-year jail term and a fine of €150,000 if the Barcelona legend is found guilty of r*pe. There is also some controversy around his mother Dona Lucia's decision to name his accuser on social media, disregarding a court ruling by doing so.
Dani Alves is considered to be one of the greatest full-backs of all time, winning 43 senior trophies throughout his career. He enjoyed a golden era at Camp Nou before leaving Catalonia a legend. His most recent contract with Mexican club Pumas UNAM was terminated after the allegations of r*pe were made public.
Deco questions narrative around Pep Guardiola's impact at Barcelona
Before winning the treble with Manchester City, Pep Guardiola won the sextuple with Barca in 2009. While there have been claims that the Catalan tactician transformed the team into one of the best in history, sporting director Deco has contradicted this.
Speaking in an interview with La Vanguardia, Deco explained (via Football Espana):
“When he arrived at Barcelona, it’s talked about as a great revolution, which is a big lie. Ronaldinho and I left, but he had Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets was promoted, Yaya Toure, the best player in Africa, Messi, of course, Samuel Eto’o.”
Deco admitted, however, that Guardiola did "build the best team":
“Guardiola was intelligent, and when he arrived, he put discipline in place and his quality as a manager into it, and went on to build the best team I have ever seen in my life. And he was smart, he knew not to waste time on other things.”
Currently, the sporting director is part of the search for a new Barcelona coach, following Xavi Hernandez's decision to leave the club at the end of the season.