DANI Alves is set to spend another night behind bars in a Spanish prison after Neymar’s dad refused to pay his £1million bail.
The disgraced ex-Barcelona star was given the chance to appeal his rape conviction earlier this week and reportedly borrowed cash from fellow Brazilian star Neymar Jr’s dad to cover the hefty costs.
But Neymar da Silva Santos said in a statement on behalf of his family that they won’t pay the £1 million to bail him out of Spanish prison.
He said: “For us, for my family, this matter is over. Full stop.”
International footballer Alves, 40, was accused of raping a woman in a nightclub in Barcelona on December 30, 2022.
Alves claimed the sexual encounter was consensual.
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He was found guilty of rape and sentenced to four-and-a-half years behind bars in February.
But on March 20, 2024 a court ruled he could appeal his conviction and get out of his hellhole jail while his team, headed by Ines Guardiola, carried out the appeal.
Alves has only served a month of his sentence so far.
Part of his bail conditions however included paying the £1million – something he hasn’t yet managed.
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Neymar Jr’s father Neymar Santos Sr was thought to be helping to raise the funds, say LaVanguardia.
It was also believed that Santos Sr helped to pay the £130,000 compensation package to the 23-year-old victim ordered by the court.
Neymar’s father didn’t specify how much they gave Alves but added that it’s a “different situation” now because the three judge panel at the Barcelona Provincial Court ruled against him.
“With the Spanish court ruling for his conviction, there’s speculation and an attempt to associate my name and my son’s to a matter that is not within our reach any longer,” Neymar’s father said in the family’s statement.
He added that he hopes Alves “can find all the answers he looks for in his own family.”
Defence sources confirmed last night that Alves will stay inside the Brians 2 prison for another night at least.
They assured people he should be out on Friday.
The superstar right back is believed to be heading to the comfort of his own home in Spain as lawyers go through the appeal process.
The Barcelona court ordered the money was deposited by Alves and his team before 2:30pm the day before leaving in order for his release.
Given that he is set to stay an additional night in his holding cell, Alves did not meet the deadline.
It is currently uncertain what stopped the money from being transferred.
But Alves will continue to stay in his hellhole cell in provisional prison until he can muster up the money.
Sources close to the player said that the money needed could take up to five days to be successfully deposited through the Treasury and to the courts.
The decision to allow Alves to leave prison after making bail was made in court by the majority of those on the ruling panel.
Although not unanimous, Section 21 of the Barcelona Court set his bail to $1million (£850,000).
The other bail conditions say Alves must stay at least 1,000m away from the home of the victim or any other place she frequently goes.
He is also banned from ever contacting her and must handover his Brazilian and Spanish passports.
The court feared Alves could leave Spain and travel to his native Brazil to try and avoid serving anymore jail time.
The footballer’s lawyers requested the disgraced footballer was released as he had already served a quarter of his sentence in pre-trial detention following his arrest in January 2023.
Sources say Santos Sr offered to assist Alves after his assets were frozen under a Brazilian court order related to his ex-wife, Dinorah Santana.
The generosity from the Neymar family is thought to come from the close friendship between Neymar Jr, 32, and Alves.
Outside of the Brazil national team, Alves and Neymar also played together at PSG and were apart of one of the greatest football teams of all time at Barcelona.
The Brazilian show boater also recently signed a blockbuster £236million-a-year contract with Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal.
WORLDWIDE REACTIONS
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also condemned Alves’ oncoming release.
He said on Wednesday: “The money that Daniel Alves has, the money that someone can lend him, cannot buy the offence that a man does to a woman by committing rape.”
The female victim’s lawyer, Ester Garcia, described the decision to allow Alves to leave prison on bail as “scandalous”.
And branded it as “justice for the rich”.
I’m very surprised and totally outraged because it’s like this is justice for the rich
Ester Garcia
Garcia fumed on RAC1 radio saying: “I’m very surprised and totally outraged… because it’s like this is justice for the rich.
“It is scandalous that they can free a person who they know can get hold of a million euros in a heartbeat.”
It comes as residents of Barcelona – where Alves was once seen as an icon – blasted the court’s ruling to free him on bail.
One woman said: “Sentences must be served and executed equally.
“If you have a sentence then you have to fulfil it not just pay their way out of it because they have a lot of money.”
I think it’s shameful and they are showing once again that woman don’t matter, that our rights don’t matter
Barcelona resident
As another told AS TV: “I think it’s shameful and they are showing once again that woman don’t matter, that our rights don’t matter.
“If you have money and you are a man, you can do whatever you want and you won’t have to pay.”
As a man also gave his view saying “evil” things can’t be forgotten about simply because of money.
Alves’ mum posted a collection of pictures on Instagram yesterday of her son captioned: “Victory has come for the honor and glory of the Lord, thank you my God.
“What God has joined together no one can separate.”
In a separate post she also said: “For all those who only believe in the justice of men @danialves is free.
“Free from European justice as I was told. But I believe in divine justice. And I always believed in his innocence.”
And Alves’ former wife Joana Sanz deactivated her Instagram account just hours after he was granted release on bail.
Despite filing for divorce in 2023 after the explosive accusations surfaced, Joana did back Alves in court claiming she was with him the night of the accusations.
It is currently uncertain what the pair’s status is after Joana accidentally shared a bizarre letter from her rapist ex where he declares his love for her from jail.
WHAT HAPPENED IN COURT?
In a trial held in Barcelona in February 2024, he denied the allegations saying the sexual encounter had been completely consensual.
The three-day trial saw the victim, witnesses, and experts testify.
His accuser told the prosecution she had willingly entered the bathroom with him, but was then forced to stay after wanting to leave.
She told the court Alves allegedly slapped and insulted her before forcing her into having sex.
Alves did confirm he had sex with the woman in the nightclub’s toilet but insisted it was consensual.
The sentence considers that it has been proven that the victim did not consent and that there is evidence to consider the rape proven
Court statement
Alves was found guilty of rape and sentenced to four-and-a-half years behind bars.
The court also ordered Alves to pay £130,000 (€150k) in compensation to the victim.
He also faced a nine-and-a-half-year restraining order from the accuser.
The court said in a statement: “The sentence considers that it has been proven that the victim did not consent and that there is evidence, in addition to the testimony of the plaintiff, to consider the rape proven.”
Following the sentence, Alves was sent to Brians 2 prison in Barcelona.
Despite filing for divorce in 2023 after the explosive accusations surfaced, Joana did back Alves when she took to the stand.
During her testimony on February 6, 2024, Joana claimed they were not legally divorced and that she had been with Alves on the night of the accusation.
Joana told the court Alves “smelled of alcohol” and “he bumped into several pieces of furniture and collapsed on the bed” after arriving home from the night out.
But she said she didn’t want to talk to him because of “the state he was in”.
A disgraced Alves publicly apologised to Joana during an interview from his prison cell in 2023.
He told Spanish reporter Mayka Navarro: “The only person I have to ask for forgiveness is my wife, Joana Sanz.
“I have already done that here in prison, but I have to do it publicly, because the story is public, the offence I caused her is public and she deserves that public apology.”
It comes as former Man City star Robinho, 40, is set to finally serve his nine-year jail sentence for a gang-rape committed in Italy, Brazil’s Supreme Court has ruled.
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Italy issued an international arrest warrant for Robinho, but the former Premier League star has dodged jail for seven years while living in Sao Paulo.
The former Santos star says he is innocent.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
