Guardiola Insists Dani Alves Is Not A Rapist, Set To Appeal Judgement

Ines Guardiola, the lawyer of former FC Barcelona and Brazil defender, Dani Alves, has insisted that her client is not guilty of rape despite being slammed with four years and six months sentence.

Dani Alves is the most decorated footballer in the history of football, alongside Lionel Messi, with 43 trophies, but that legacy was stained when he was found guilty of raping a lady at a Barcelona nightclub in December 2022.

He was arrested in January 2023 and stayed in prison throughout the legal battle, which ended on Thursday, February 22, 2024.

After spending over a year in prison while undergoing trial, the 40-year-old former PSG defender is expected to remain in prison for four-and-a-half years. He is also expected to pay €150,000 to the victim.

But Alves’ lawyer, Guardiola, has told reporters that she and her legal team will appeal the judgment as she stressed that her client wasn’t guilty of the offence.

The lawyer revealed that the prosecuting counsel wanted at least 9 9-year sentence for the three-time UEFA Champions League winners.

She said, “Four-and-a-half years is much better than nine and 12 that the accusation requested, but we are going to appeal because I still believe in Mr Alves’ innocence.

“We are going to review the sentence, but I can tell you that we are going to appeal.”

She added, “We continue to believe in the innocence of Mr Alves. He already knows the sentence. We will defend his innocence to the end.”

Pending the outcome of the appeal, Dani Alves will remain at the Brian 2 prison near the city centre of Barcelona.