Author: Soorya G
Brazilian football star Dani Alves has been denied bail by a court in Spain, as the veteran faces charges of sexual harassment. For the time being, the footballer will remain in judicial custody. The allegations were made some time ago when it was claimed that Alves behaved inappropriately with a woman in a Barcelona nightclub during his second spell with the Catalan side. Although nothing has been proven so far, the investigation into the matter continues. The footballer denied any involvement in the crime and pleaded not guilty to the charges and later applied for bail. However, the court decided against the bail request, suspecting that it was very likely that the Brazilian would try to flee the country if released. He will remain in judicial custody until the court decides otherwise.
Alves tried to dismiss the case before the charges were brought to court, but the competent authorities decided to deny his request to dismiss the case. The charges against the former Juventus star were attached and he was then taken into judicial custody. Alves had also applied for bail in February, which was promptly rejected. This time, the Brazilian’s official legal advisor offered to let his client hand over his Spanish and Brazilian passports and guarantee that he would not travel outside Spain. However, the judges decided against the motion, despite the assurances, due to the fact that the footballer’s immense wealth could allow him to leave the country at any time. They believed that this would obstruct the due course of justice and that keeping Alves in custody would be appropriate from the point of view of the investigation.
Alves’ contract was terminated by Mexican club Pumas UNAM in January after the accusations were made. A return to soccer, for the time being, seems a little distant for 40-year-old Alves. He is one of soccer’s most decorated athletes, having played 408 times for Barcelona, where he won the Spanish league six times and the UEFA Champions League three times. He also had successful spells with Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus. He was also part of the Brazilian team at the 2022 World Cup, where they reached the quarter-finals.