Former Barcelona and Brazil defender Dani Alves who was convicted of sexual assault has had his case overturned on appeal by a Spanish court.
The appeals division of Catalonia's High Court of Justice unanimously upheld the appeal by the 41-year-old and cleared him, saying the case against him had "inconsistencies and contradictions".
Alves, a former full-back, who earned 126 international caps was sentenced to four and a half years in prison in February 2024 after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in a Barcelona nightclub in 2022.
He was released on bail in March 2024 while his appeal was heard by a higher court. The appeal court said that the ruling in the original court case "contains, throughout the reasoning, a series of gaps, inaccuracies, inconsistencies and contradictions regarding the facts, the legal assessment and their consequences.
The appeals court also lifted all restrictions on Alves, including a travel ban and restraining order, and dropped a 150,000-euro compensation claim against his accuser.
"Alves is very happy. He is innocent, that is demonstrated. Justice has spoken," his lawyer Ines Guardiola told Barcelona-based RAC1 radio.
At the time of his arrest, Alves was contracted to Mexican club Pumas UNAM -- he was sacked soon afterwards.
But former Minister of Equality of Spain Irene Montero, who drafted a tough new law against sexual offences which came into effect in 2023, said the ruling was a "clear example" of "patriarchal justice that does not protect women and maintains the culture of impunity for aggressors".
Alves was a key cog of an all-conquering Barcelona team -- crowned La Liga champions six times -- and won 126 caps for Brazil, winning the Copa America twice.
He also won European league titles with Italian giants Juventus and French outfit Paris Saint Germain.
By: Pascal Amoah
