Dani Alves has reportedly claimed to be drunk on the night of his alleged sexual assault, with prosecutors seeking a nine-year prison sentence.

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Brazilian arrested in January 2023Has been held in prison without bailTrial set to take place in February 2024WHAT HAPPENED?

The former Barcelona defender will see his case go to court in February. The charge in question relates to an incident which allegedly took place in a Catalan nightclub on December 30, 2022. Alves has been in preventative prison without bail since his arrest in January 2023.

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According to the news agency, the 40-year-old’s lawyer – Ines Guardiola – has argued that his client was intoxicated on the night in question. If it is proved that Alves’ cognitive ability was impaired, leaving him unaware of his actions, then he could be handed a reduced sentence in the case of any conviction.

DID YOU KNOW?

Alves has changed his story a number of times since first being taken into custody. He originally claimed to not know his alleged victim, but then admitted to meeting her in the bathroom of the club in question – although he maintained that nothing had happened. When biological evidence was presented, the ex-Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain defender claimed to have had consensual oral sex performed on him. In April 2023, after more test results, Alves admitted for the first time that he did have sex with the women in question – again saying it was consensual and that he had tried to hide his infidelity from his wife.

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Alves is set to stand trial at a court in Barcelona between February 5-7. State prosecutors are calling for a nine-year prison sentence, while the lawyers representing the alleged victim want the South American to spend 12 years behind bars. They are also seeking a damages payment of €150,000.