By Victor Kanayo
Former Barcelona player Dani Alves is most likely going to spend 12 years in prison for alleged sexual assault at a night club.
He is billed to stand trial in October or November 2023.
Alves, 40, has been in custody at Brians 2 since January 20 after a 23-year-old woman alleged he had raped her in a toilet at the well-known Sutton club.
The defender, who also played for Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain, has seen several requests to be released on remand rejected and he will remain behind bars, according to DailyMail reports.
The most recent appeal was turned down by judges at Barcelona’s high court.
It was gathered that there are concerns Alves would flee the country if released, potentially back to his native Brazil, which doesn’t extradite citizens abroad.
Further report from El Periodicom said Alves’ case has been given a trial date.
But the exact timings are yet to be officially confirmed.
If convicted, Alves could face a sentence ranging from six to 12 years, with the Law on the Guarantee of Sexual Freedom having come into effect last October.
He had been detained in January after flying back to Spain from Mexico, where he was playing for UNAM Pumas, following the death of his wife Joana Sanz’s mother.
