Former Barcelona and Brazil right-back Dani Alves has rape conviction quashed on appeal due to case's 'inconsistencies and contradictions'

Alves was sentenced to four and a half years in jail in February 2024 after being found guilty of raping a woman in a Spanish nightclub in December 2022. However, this week, the appeals division of Catalonia's High Court of Justice upheld the appeal by the ex-Barcelona defender and acquitted him, saying the case against him had "inconsistencies and contradictions".

The appeal court said in the ruling that the original case, "contains, throughout the reasoning, a series of gaps, inaccuracies, inconsistencies and contradictions regarding the facts, the legal assessment and their consequences. The complainant's account, which should have been subjected to greater scrutiny, has not been compared with the fingerprint and biological evidence, which support the defence's argument."

The Catalan court also lifted all restrictions on the ex-Brazil international, who was in jail between January 2023 to March 2024 before being released on bail. That means the 41-year-old no longer has a travel ban or a restraining order. However, the decision can still be appealed to the Supreme Court so this may not be the end of the case.

While this may be appealed again, Alves' lawyer, Ines Guardiola, revealed how his client was feeling at the news.

He told RAC1 radio: "Alves is very happy. He is innocent, that is demonstrated. Justice has spoken."