Lawyers for the woman accusing Dani Alves of sexual assault are asking for the maximum sentence of 12 years in prison for the Brazilian football player.
The woman’s lawyers filed the request on Tuesday, two weeks after prosecutors sought a nine-year prison sentence for Alves.
Alves is set to face trial over allegations he assaulted the woman in a Barcelona nightclub on December 30, 2022. He was indicted by an investigative judge in August and the court said there was enough evidence to open a trial, which is expected to take place early next year.
Image: Ex-Brazil defender Alves has denied any wrongdoing, claiming he had consensual sex with the accuser
The former Barcelona defender has denied any wrongdoing, claiming he had consensual sex with the accuser. He has been in jail since January, when he was arrested after an initial investigation.
Prosecutors also want Alves to pay 150,000 euros (£128,500) in damages to the victim, and to be prohibited from having any contact with her for an additional 10 years. They also want Alves to remain supervised for a decade after serving his prison term.
All of Alves’ bail requests have been denied because the court has considered him a flight risk. The player had offered to turn in his passports and wear a tracking device.
The 40-year-old Alves won 42 trophies, including three Champions Leagues with Barcelona and two Copa Americas with Brazil. He played at his third World Cup last year in Qatar.
Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix earned Barcelona a 2-1 comeback win against Porto to book their spot in the Champions League knockout rounds for the first time in three seasons.
After crashing out of the competition in the group stage two years in a row, five-times champions Barca are back in the last 16 after securing a top-two finish with one game remaining.
Barcelona are top of Group H on 12 points, three ahead of Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk who will play each other on the final match day to decide who will join the Spaniards in the knockout stage.
Shakhtar beat Antwerp 1-0 on Tuesday courtesy of Mykola Matviyenko’s early goal to give themselves real hope of going through.
Barca need at least a draw against bottom side Antwerp in two weeks’ time to guarantee top spot in the group.
They had to dig deep against a valiant Porto who were the better side in the first half but were frustrated by an inspired performance from Barca goalkeeper Inaki Pena, who replaced injured Marc-Andre ter Stegen and made several excellent saves to keep the hosts in the game.
Pena made a reflex save to deny a point-blank strike from Galeno in the 28th minute and blocked another effort by the Porto winger two minutes later, but this time Pepe was well placed inside the box to strike home the rebound and put them in front.
However, Barca hit back two minutes later, with a fine curling shot into the top corner by Cancelo after he dribbled past Joao Mario.
Porto didn’t give up and almost got back in front in the 43rd minute, when Pena made a superb one-handed save to palm another Galeno shot from range around the post right before the break.
But Cancelo and Felix came out firing in the second half and Barcelona were transformed with the Portuguese duo causing all kinds of trouble for the visitors’ defence.
Image: Manchester City loanee and former Benfica defender Joao Cancelo scored for Barcelona against his boyhood club’s rivals Porto
Felix unleashed a thunderous strike from range in the 47th minute that crashed against the crossbar and he linked up well with Cancelo, both of whom started their career at the Benfica academy, Porto’s rivals in Portugal.
Cancelo was excellent running down the left channel and teed up Felix for a tidy first-time finish just beyond the goalkeeper’s reach in the 57th minute to secure the win.
Group F: Dortmund seal progression with statement victory in Milan
Image: Karim Adeyemi sealed Borussia Dortmund’s progress with the third goal in their 3-1 win at Milan
Borussia Dortmund booked their spot in the last 16 by beating AC Milan 3-1 at the San Siro in a lively Group F clash.
Marco Reus, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Karim Adeyemi were all on target to help Dortmund top the group on 10 points, with Paris Saint-Germain, who drew 1-1 against Newcastle, second on seven.
Milan, bottom on five points from five games, can still secure a top-two finish if they win at Newcastle and Dortmund beat PSG in the final round of games next month.
“If we avoid looking at our attacks in the first half, we did well,” said Dortmund defender and player of the match Mats Hummels.
“With our possession, we managed to keep the atmosphere in check. It is great to play Champions League in such a stadium. We want to deliver again at home in two weeks and secure first place in front of our fans.”
Dortmund will be confirmed as group winners if they avoid a home defeat by PSG.
Group E: Own goals see Atletico into knock-outs
Image: Mario Hermoso (centre) was the only Atletico Madrid player to score for his side despite their 3-1 win at Feyenooard
Two own goals plus a brilliant Mario Hermoso hooked volley gave Atletico Madrid a 3-1 win at Feyenoord and a place in the Champions League last 16 while eliminating the hosts.
Feyenoord’s Lutsharel Geertruida put the ball into his own net after 14 minutes before Hermoso added a stunning second goal in the 57th, although Feyenoord pulled one back with 13 minutes left as Mats Wieffer headed home from a corner.
However, a second own goal four minutes later, this time from Santiago Gimenez, wrapped up the points for Atletico who moved top in Group E and claimed a knockout-stage berth.
They have 11 points, one more than Lazio, who also reached the last 16 on Tuesday by beating Celtic 2-0 in Rome, with their spot guaranteed by Feyenoord’s defeat.
Group G: Man City top group, Young Boys into Europa League
Image: Phil Foden celebrates after scoring Man City’s equaliser against RB Leipzig
Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez scored in the 87th minute as the European champions clawed their way back from two goals down to beat RB Leipzig 3-2 and clinch top spot in Champions League Group G on Tuesday with one round of matches remaining.
Erling Haaland and Phil Foden also netted in the second period after one of City’s most underwhelming recent first-half performances to give Pep Guardiola’s team 15 points after five games. Leipzig, who had also reached the last 16, have nine.
“First half was the worst I’ve seen us,” midfielder Foden told TNT. “Courage and motivation changed it around. This team has great mentality and its so nice to see.”
Haaland added another record to his bulging resume, becoming the fastest player to 40 Champions League goals. The striker became the quickest to 50 Premier League goals on Saturday.
Three days after their 1-1 top-of-the-table Premier League draw with Liverpool, City looked like zombies through the first half, although they had a flurry of chances before the break, their best being Dias’s header over the bar.
It was Guardiola’s second comeback from a two-goal deficit in his Champions League managerial career after his Bayern Munich side rallied to beat Juventus in the 2016 quarter-finals.
City finish the group stage at Red Star Belgrade on December 13.
Young Boys, who are third on four points, secured a place in the Europa league knockout round playoffs with a 2-0 home win over Red Star. The Belgrade side are bottom with one point.
Prosecutors are seeking a nine-year prison sentence for Brazilian football star Dani Alves for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman last year, a Spanish court has said.
The 40-year-old is set to face trial over allegations he assaulted the woman in a nightclub in Barcelona on December 30.
The Brazilian was indicted by an investigative judge in August and the court said this month there was enough evidence to open a trial. A date for the hearings was not yet set.
The former Sevilla defender has denied any wrongdoing, claiming he had consensual sex with the accuser.
Prosecutors also want Alves to pay €150,000 (£131,000) in damages to the victim, and to be prohibited from having any contact with her for an additional 10 years. They also want Alves to remain supervised for a decade after serving his prison term.
Image: Ex-Brazil defender Alves has denied any wrongdoing, claiming he had consensual sex with the accuser
If found guilty, Alves would be prohibited from any type of work with minors for 10 years after his term, in accordance with Spanish law.
Under Spain’s new sexual consent law, the charge of sexual assault takes in a wide array of crimes from online abuse and groping to rape, each with different possible punishments. A case of rape could carry a maximum sentence of 15 years.
Alves has been in pre-trial jail since January, when he was arrested after an initial investigation by authorities.
All of Alves’ bail requests have been denied because the court has considered him a flight risk. The player had offered to turn in his passports and wear a tracking device while awaiting the court’s decision.
Prosecutors this week again opposed the most recent request for freedom made by Alves’ lawyers.
Alves won 42 major honours, including three Champions Leagues with Barcelona and two Copa Americas with Brazil. He played at his third World Cup last year in Qatar.
His lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Shakira was presented with a Latin Grammy award by former Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos for a song mocking former Barcelona defender Gerard Pique.
The song, Shakira: Bzrp Music Session, Vol 53, won Song of the Year and Best Pop Song at the awards. It ridicules Shakira’s former partner Pique and has become the most watched new Latin song in YouTube’s history.
Sevilla defender Ramos, 37, was on stage to present Shakira with the award.
Despite being successful team-mates internationally, Ramos and Pique held a long-term rivalry at the club level as Real Madrid and Barcelona battled it out for top honours in La Liga and the Champions League.
Colombian pop star Shakira and now retired footballer Pique announced their split in June 2022 after more than 11 years together.
Pique, 36, later struck up a relationship with then 23-year-old Clara Chia.
In the track, Shakira sings: “I’m worth two 22-year-olds” and “you swapped a Ferrari for a Twingo”.
In her speech, Shakira thanked fans for being with her through “difficult moments”, widely thought to be a reference to her split with Pique, and dedicated the award to the Spanish public.
