DANI Alves’ statue was wrapped in duct tape and bin bags as his hometown wants it removed following his rape conviction.
The former Barcelona star was jailed for more than four years after being found guilty of raping a woman in a Spanish nightclub.
The court ordered that Alves pay £130,000 (150,000 euros) to the victim and sentenced him to four and a half years behind bars.
The Brazilian right-back has denied the allegations and is set to appeal the decision.
Neighbours in his hometown of Juazeiro, in the state of Bahia, wrapped his statue with bin bags and duct tape in a bid to get it removed following Alves’ sentencing.
According to Marca, a local wrote on social media: “It’s about time to vandalise the statue of Dani Alves on the outskirts of Juazeiro, right?
Read more on Dani Alves
“It has gotten embarrassing.”
The statue was unveiled in 2020 as a tribute to Alves, born and raised in Juazeiro.
The statue is located in the central region of the city and displays a life-size Daniel Alves wearing the Brazilian national team shirt and a football at his feet.
But the work has been vandalised several times since the player’s arrest.
Most read in Football
The Juazeiro City Council is now considering removing the statue but said it will only comment on the matter after the athlete’s case has become final, Estadao reports.
It has been revealed that Alves could be released from prison as soon as July 20 when he will have served a third of his sentence, reported Spanish media.
He would be allowed to leave jail to work or “participate in activities” for the day before returning at night as per Spanish law. It is not clear what these activities will be.
The disgraced footballer could also exchange part of his sentence in Spain for expulsion to Brazil, lawyer Agustín Martínez Becerra told Globo G1.
Spanish law states that foreigners sentenced between one and five years in prison can request to exchange their sentence for expulsion to their home country.
As well as two spells at Barcelona, Alves has played for Seville, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Sao Paulo.
He is widely considered one of the greatest full-backs of all time and became the oldest player to represent Brazil at the World Cup in December 2022 in Qatar.
Timeline of Dani Alves’ case
December 30, 2022: A woman alleges she was sexually assaulted in the toilets of Sutton nightclub
January 1, 2023: Cops in Barcelona investigate an alleged sexual assault in a nightclub involving Dani Alves
January 5, 2023: Dani Alves’ alleged victim makes a formal complaint claiming she was sexually assaulted
CCTV footage shows Alves had been alone for 47 seconds in a toilet at the nightclub with his accuser
January 20, 2023: Alves is remanded in custody by a judge in Barcelona
He initially denies ever meeting his accuser but later confirms they had sex in the nightclub’s toilets – but insists was consensual
January 31, 2023: His wife Joana Sanz, 29, demands a divorce
February 8, 2023: It emerges that Alves is said to be receiving ‘VIP treatment’ in prison
March 17, 2023: Alves goes on a hunger strike following split from wife
November 14, 2023: The footballer is ordered to stand trial for the alleged assault
November 24, 2023: Prosecutors demand nine years jail time and to pay the alleged victim £130,000, if found guilty
February 5, 2024: Alves appears in court in Spain facing twelve years in jail
February 6 2024: Joana Sanz testified in court about a “drunk” phone call her husband made to her after the alleged assault
February 7 2024: Alves tells a Spanish court the encounter was consensual
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
