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      Dani Alves denies ‘nightclub toilet rape’ & says ‘I’m not that type of man’ as ex-Barcelona star faces 12 years in jail

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      EX BARCELONA star Dani Alves has denied allegations that he sexually assaulted a young woman in a nightclub.After two days of testimonies from the alleged victim, witnesses, and experts, the 40-year-old defender told a Spanish court that their encounter had been consensual. 
      Dani Alves has testified in court on the last day of his three-day trialCredit: Reuters
      Model Joana Sanz said her ex-husband “stank of alcohol” when he went home the night of the alleged attackCredit: EPA
      The verdict is expected to be delivered in weeks
      The Brazilian footballer is accused of raping a woman in the toilet of  Sutton nightclub in Barcelona in the early hours of December 31, 2022.
      He has denied any wrongdoing, telling his defence lawyer that he is “not that type of man”.
      His accuser told the prosecution that she had been dancing with the footballer and had willingly entered the bathroom with him, but that he forced her to stay after she wanted to leave.
      She claims that he was aggressive with her, slapping her and insulting her, and then forced her to have sex with him.
      READ MORE ON DANI ALVES
      In response, Alves said: “She never told me to stop. We were both enjoying ourselves.”
      He claimed that the woman never asked to leave the bathroom and also denied having been aggressive with her.
      State prosecutors are seeking for him to be jailed for nine years if convicted while the lawyers representing his accuser want 12 years.
      Alves was escorted in handcuffs into the small courtroom of Barcelona’s Audiencia Provincial Court for the trial that is expected to conclude today.
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      A verdict normally takes weeks to be delivered.
      The alleged victim testified on Monday behind closed doors on order of the court.
      State prosecutors asked for the court to take extra measures to protect her identity after a video circulated on social media last month that allegedly identified the woman.
      During the first day of the footballer’s trial a friend and cousin of his accuser claimed he also groped them in the VIP area.
      The two women claim he then invited their friend, the alleged rape victim, to follow him through a separate door after flirting with her.
      The dad-of-two has previously confirmed he had sex with a woman in the nightclub’s toilet but insisted it was consensual.
      His ex-wife Joana Sanz told the court Alves Sanz told the court Alves “smelled of alcohol” and “he bumped into several pieces of furniture and collapsed on the bed” after arriving home the night of the alleged assault.
      But she said she didn’t want to talk to him because of “the state he was in”.
      Alves initially claimed he had never met his female accuser before telling a judge in a court hearing he had lied to cover up his “marital infidelity.”
      The footballer was ordered to stand trial last November.
      He was sacked by Mexican side UNAM Pumas following his arrest after he flew back to Barcelona to attend his mother-in-law’s funeral.
      He has made repeated bail requests but they have all been turned down, with judges saying his alleged victim’s version of events was coherent and pointing out Alves had changed his story several times as the evidence authorities have against him has emerged.
      READ MORE SUN STORIES
      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.
      Alves’ family speaking to a court official in Barcelona
      Alves has denied any wrongdoingCredit: AFP
      He has been accused of raping a woman in the toilets of Sutton in BarcelonaTimeline of Dani Alves’s case

      December 30, 2022: A woman alleges she was sexually assaulted in the toilets of Sutton nightclub
      January 1, 2023: Cops in Barcelona are investigating an alleged sexual assault in a nightclub involving Dani Alves.
      January 5, 2023: Dani Alves’s 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 had been 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 divorce
      February 8, 2023: It emerges that Alves is said to be receiving ‘VIP treatment’ in prison
      March 17, 2023: Alves is going on 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 More

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      Blow to Harry Maguire as battle to clear Man Utd star’s name over ‘holiday brawl’ to drag on…after lawyers go on strike

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      HARRY MAGUIRE’S fight to clear his name more than three years after an alleged holiday assault has been delayed again – as Greek lawyers go on strike.The Manchester United star, 30, was arrested on an August 2020 family holiday and convicted of assault and attempted bribery in Mykonos after a late-night bar brawl.
      Manchester United star Harry Maguire during his infamous 2020 interview about the Mykonos brawlCredit: Twitter/DanRoan
      Harry Maguire (right) with sister Daisy Maguire in Mykonos
      Harry Maguire pictured with his partner Fern Hawkins in Mykonos
      The star centre-back has always vehemently denied any wrongdoing and immediately appealed in 2020 – nullifying the convictions and sparking a new trial.
      But repeated delays to his appeal have caused the convoluted case to drag on for more than three years.
      And now thanks to strikes by Greek lawyers, hopes of putting the infamous incident behind him have been dashed once again.
      The footballer will not see the inside of a Greek court again until March 12, 2025 – marking four and a half years since the night of the alleged assault.
      READ MORE ON HARRY MAGUIRE
      A lawyer at the appeals court in Syros said the date of the new trial, 1665 days after the night of the bar clash, was announced much sooner than expected.
      “A lot of us want to be done with this case,” one insider at the court revealed.
      “But there is nothing we can do because of this union action. Lawyers can’t be seen to be strike-breakers.”  
      The hearing, they told The Sun, had been listed as Number 19 on the docket. “It was the last case due to be heard”, they added.
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      Harry was initially found guilty of assaulting police, resisting arrest and attempted bribery following the clash outside Mykonos bar Bonbonniere.
      He was handed a suspended jail sentence of 21 months and 10 days but saw the conviction quashed after he was granted an appeal.
      It nullified the original verdict and left a retrial to be decided in a more senior court – which still has yet to happen.
      I thought we were getting kidnapped. We got down on our knees, we put our hands in the air, they just started hitting us.Harry Maguire
      The retrial was first postponed due to the Covid pandemic.
      It was later scheduled for June last year, but Maguire’s legal team requested it be pushed back.
      If he is now found guilty in March 2025, he will not be able to receive a more severe punishment than his original sentence.
      Maguire’s brother, Joe, and friend, Christopher Sharman, were also handed suspended sentences of 13 months.
      Soon after his arrest, Maguire gave a frank interview where he said he was “scared for his life” as Greek cops handcuffed him and bashed his legs with a baton.
      HARRY MAGUIRE MYKONOS BATTLE TIMELINE

      He infamously told the BBC: “I did nothing wrong”, and said police disguised in plain clothes told him “your career is over, no more football, you won’t play again”.
      “I thought we were getting kidnapped. We got down on our knees, we put our hands in the air, they just started hitting us”, Maguire, then 27, said.
      He went on: “They were hitting my leg saying my career is over, ‘No more football. You won’t play again’.
      “And at this point I thought there is no chance these are police or I don’t know who they are so I tried to run away, I was in that much of a panic, fear, scared for my life. All the way through it.”
      Maguire claims the fight erupted after “an Albanian thug” injected his younger sister, Daisy, with an unknown substance outside a Mykonos bar.
      The then Manchester United captain said he and his brother, Joe, who was also detained, were forced to intervene when they saw Daisy faint.
      Moments earlier, he said, she had been stabbed by “this gangster type.”
      “It’s been very tough on Daisy,” he told the BBC during his 2020 interview.  
      A friend of their family also told a Greek court in 2020 that they saw Daisy fitting after she was injected with a “rape drug”.
      A scuffle later allegedly broke out between cops and the trio, where one officer was punched and another needed first aid – Maguire has denied ever attacking the police.
      They were hitting my leg saying my career is over, ‘No more football. You won’t play again.’Harry Maguire
      Fern Hawkins, who was in Mykonos with the centre-back at the time of the brawl, launched into a passionate defence of her boyfriend at the time and accused Greek cops of “lying”.
      One officer claimed during the 2020 case that Maguire had boasted “Don’t you know who I am” when he was arrested, which Fern slammed as an attempt to “ruin Harry’s reputation”.
      Pals say the episode has taken “a huge emotional toll” on Maguire.
      READ MORE SUN STORIES
      In May last year a judge postponed proceedings after the footballer’s top-league lawyer, Alexis Anagnostakis, told the court he was unable to attend because his presence was needed at a higher court in Athens – permissible under Greek law.
      The footballer has said he is willing to give evidence by video link when the case is eventually seen in court, but does not want to return to Syros in person.
      Harry Maguire spoke to the BBC’s sports editor Dan Roan in 2020Credit: BBC
      Maguire will now have to wait until March 12 2025 for his appeal trial
      Harry with his brothers Laurence and Joe
      Maguire was captain of Manchester United when he was charged – pictured playing with the team on February 4 this yearCredit: Getty More

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      Ex-Barcelona star Dani Alves ‘groped TWO other women on night of rape’ court hears…with model wife poised to testify

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      FORMER Barcelona star Dani Alves has been accused of groping two other women on the night he allegedly raped someone else in a nightclub toilet.His estranged model wife Joana Sanz is set to testify in her husband’s rape trial today and tell the court that Alves rang her “drunk” from the club where he allegedly forced himself on a 23-year-old woman.
      Footballer Dani Alves in court on the the first day of his trial in Barcelona yesterdayCredit: Reuters
      The rape case – on its second day today – is set to last until WednesdayCredit: EPA
      Joana Sanz arrives at court on Tuesday to testifyCredit: EPA
      Model Joana Sanz walks into court on February 6Credit: Splash
      Alves with wife Joana Sanz in 2018 – the model filed for divorce last yearCredit: PA:Press Association
      The Brazilian defender, 40, has been accused of raping a woman in an upmarket Barcelona nightclub on December 30, 2022.
      During the first day of the footballer’s trial yesterday, a friend and cousin of his accuser claimed he also groped them in the VIP area, local media reports.
      The two women claim he then invited their friend, the alleged rape victim, to follow him through a separate door after flirting with her.
      Alves has admitted to having sex with the alleged victim in the toilet of the club since the allegations surfaced, but insists it was consensual.
      READ MORE ON DANI ALVES
      Spanish prosecutors have said they want the defender – who has been in pre-trial detention for over a year – jailed for nine years if he is convicted.
      And the lawyer representing the dad-of-two’s accuser has called for him to face the maximum 12-year prison sentence if he is found guilty.
      Both prosecutors are also seeking a compensation payment of £128,000.
      Under Spanish law excess alcohol consumption can serve to reduce a prison sentence in the case of a guilty verdict – as Sanz is expected to testify that he was drunk.
      Most read in Football
      His model wife, who was married to Alves for almost seven years, filed for divorce last year after the explosive accusations surfaced.
      The Tenerife-born beauty claimed Alves complicated things by contesting her attempts to end their marriage.
      And a Spanish TV programme went on to claim the brunette had been asked to leave his home in Barcelona after refusing to sign a confidentiality agreement.
      But confirmation of their separation came at the end of April last year after the footballer changed his version of events and it is believed the pair are in the midst of divorce proceedings.
      If as expected his wife testifies on his behalf today, it will mark an extraordinary turnaround in the relationship between the high-profile pair.
      Timeline of Dani Alves’s case
      December 30, 2022: A woman alleges she was sexually assaulted in the toilets of Sutton nightclub
      January 1, 2023: Cops in Barcelona are investigating an alleged sexual assault in a nightclub involving Dani Alves.
      January 5, 2023: Dani Alves’s 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 had been 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 divorce
      February 8, 2023: It emerges that Alves is said to be receiving ‘VIP treatment’ in prison
      March 17, 2023: Alves is going on 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

      Alves initially claimed he had never met his female accuser before telling a judge in a court hearing he had lied to cover up his “marital infidelity.”
      He appeared at Barcelona’s Audiencia Provincial Court on Monday morning for the first day of his trial, which is set to last until Wednesday.
      The three judges, who are sitting without a jury as is normal in Spain for sex crime cases, have around a fortnight to announce a verdict once the trial ends.
      Alves’ rape accuser has been given permission to testify behind closed doors during the case – but according to G1 gave testimony in the same room as Alves yesterday.
      The footballer will have the option to take the stand on the last day.
      This week’s trial is the first time the former defender has appeared publicly since his arrest in January last year.
      He was sacked by Mexican side UNAM Pumas following his arrest in Barcelona at the start of last year after he flew back to the Catalan capital to attend his mother-in-law’s funeral.
      His wife shared a post on Instagram in March 2023 that read: “I think it’s going to take me years to erase from my memory his way of looking at me.”
      Alves responded with a grovelling letter which was later leaked to a Spanish TV station.
      The note, addressed to “My Dear Joana” and written in Spanish, said: “In these difficult moments, I regret your decision and I hope that life gives us another chance to love you again.
      “I understand the pain the unjust situation we are experiencing is causing and I understand that you have not been able to withstand all that pressure.
      “The facts of which I am accused are foreign to me and to the values that have guided my life: love, respect and effort.
      “I will continue fighting as I have always done, believing in myself with the support and confidence of those who know who I really am.”
      He also delivered a desperate pre-trial apology to the model for “cheating on her”, and said in an interview from his cell: “The only person I have to ask for forgiveness is my wife, Joana Sanz.”
      Sanz is one of 22 witnesses who will give evidence during the trial today.
      A male friend who was out with him on the night of the alleged rape is also set to take the stand alongside a number of cops.
      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.
      The former football star has made repeated bail requests – which have all been rejected.
      Judges have said his alleged victim’s version of events is coherent and whereas Alves had changed his story several times as the evidence authorities have against him has emerged.
      READ MORE SUN STORIES
      At the start of the year his mum Lucia Alves caused controversy and left herself open to future prosecution by naming and picturing her son’s rape accuser in a social media post she has now removed.
      She was seen at court yesterday with Alves’ two brothers but made no comment.
      Dani Alves’ mother, Lucia Alves leaves the courthouse with family members on MondayCredit: The Mega Agency
      Alves’ family speaking to a court official in BarcelonaCredit: AFP
      Dani Alves playing for Barcelona in January 2022Credit: Getty
      Joana Sanz supporting Alves at a matchCredit: INSTAGRAM More

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      Former Man City star given more time to clear £800,000 tax debt and dodge bankruptcy

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      FORMER Premier League star Benjamin Mendy has been given more time to clear a £800,000 tax debt and avoid bankruptcy.The one time Man City defender, 29 — last year cleared of rape and sexual assault — is hoping to sell his mansion.
      Former Man City defender Benjamin Mendy has been given more time to clear a £800,000 tax debtCredit: PA
      A hearing at the High Court was told the pad in Macclesfield, Cheshire, has had a price cut from £5million to £3.8million.
      A sale is expected in the next eight weeks.
      Louis Doyle KC, for Mendy, said: “He wants to get rid of this debt as quickly as possible.”
      He continued: “If we get 10 weeks down the line and it is still not sold, I accept I might have a very different fight on my hands.”
      READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS
      The court also heard Mr Mendy is bringing legal action against former club Manchester City after they stopped paying him when he was charged with rape back in 2021.
      The player was cleared of rape and attempted rape at Chester Crown Court.
      Mr Doyle said that Mendy being made bankrupt could have a “potentially catastrophic impact” on his claim which is due to go into mediation later in the year.
      At a previous hearing, Mendy said he would pay HMRC £20,000 a month from his salary at new club Lorient in France, which he has not done.
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      Judge Joseph Curl KC adjourned the case for 12 weeks to allow for the sale of the house but said he was “troubled” by Mendy’s failure to pay the monthly bill. More

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      Dani Alves appears in court for ‘nightclub toilet rape’ trial as ex-Barcelona star, 40, faces 12 years in prison

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      FORMER Barcelona star Dani Alves is set to appear in court this morning as he is facing a 12-year prison sentence for rape.The 40-year-old Brazilian defender was driven to court in a police van from Brians 2 Prison near Barcelona where he has been held on remand for more than a year.
      Dani Alves is facing 12 years behind bars after he was accused of rapeCredit: AFP
      The footballer appeared in court in Barcelona this morningCredit: Reuters
      Prosecutors are also seeking a compensation payment of £128,000Credit: EPA
      The footballer’s mum Lucia Alves arrived in court in Barcelona for his trialCredit: AFP
      A van of Barcelona’s Mossos d’Esquadra arrives at the High Court of Justice of CataloniaCredit: AFP
      Alves’s family speaking to a court official in BarcelonaCredit: AFP
      Media outside the court ahead of Alves’s trialCredit: Rex
      State prosecutors have said they wanted him jailed for nine years if convicted of raping a woman in a Barcelona nightclub on December 30, 2022.
      The dad-of-two has previously confirmed he had sex with a woman in the nightclub’s toilet but insisted it was consensual.
      A lawyer acting for Alves’ female accuser, has called for him to face the maximum 12-year prison sentence if he is found guilty.
      Both prosecutors are also seeking a compensation payment of £128,000.
      READ MORE ON DANI ALVES
      Failing an eleventh-hour plea bargain deal, the trial will start at 10am local time at Barcelona’s Audiencia Provincial Court and is scheduled to last for three days.
      The three judges, who are sitting without a jury as is normal in Spain for sex crime cases, have around a fortnight to return their verdict once the trial ends and will announce their decision in a written ruling.
      Alves, who can opt to take the stand on the last day, has insisted he had consensual sex with the woman who has accused him of forcing himself on her.
      At first he had claimed to have never met the woman in question, before backtracking at a later date and saying the pair had consensual sex.
      Most read in Football
      It was also initially reported he had put his hands down a woman’s underwear in the club’s VIP area’s toilets, but it later emerged the 23-year-old was alleging she had been the victim of rape.
      She has been given permission to testify behind-closed-doors.
      Dani Alves’ estranged wife shares kiss with female pal on Instagram after ‘demanding divorce’ over star’s rape charges
      Her cousin and a female friend who were with her the night of the alleged sex attack are among the witnesses called to give evidence along with waiters in the VIP area of Sutton’s where Alves met the woman whose accusations ended with his arrest and incarceration ahead of today’s trial.
      Alves’ wife Joana Sanz will testify on behalf of the footballer following his pre-trial public apology to the model for “cheating on her” with the woman who claims he raped her.
      The footballer was ordered to stand trial last November.
      Initially, it was reported Alves had been accused of putting his hands down a woman’s underwear inside a toilet in the VIP area of Sutton nightclub before it emerged his alleged victim was saying she had been raped.
      He was sacked by Mexican side UNAM Pumas following his arrest in Barcelona at the start of last year after he flew back to the Catalan capital to attend his mother-in-law’s funeral.
      He has made repeated bail requests but they have all been turned down, with judges saying his alleged victim’s version of events was coherent and pointing out Alves had changed his story several times as the evidence authorities have against him has emerged.
      Alves claimed before his arrest he had never met his female accuser but ended up backtracking after being held.
      In an exclusive interview from his cell in Brians 2 Prison near Barcelona last June with Spanish TV and newspaper reporter Mayka Navarro, he claimed: “The only person I have to ask for forgiveness is my wife, Joana Sanz.”
      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.
      READ MORE SUN STORIES
      He became the oldest player to represent Brazil at the World Cup in December 2022 in Qatar.
      At the start of the year his mum Lucia Alves caused controversy and left herself open to future prosecution by naming and picturing her son’s rape accuser in a social media post she has now removed.
      The dad-of-two is facing 12 years behind bars
      He was accused of raping a woman in the toilets of Sutton nightclub in Barcelona
      The Brazilian defender admitted having sex with a woman in the nightclub but insisted it was consensualCredit: PA:Press Association
      He has publicly apologised to his wife Joana Sanz
      Timeline of Dani Alves’s case
      December 30, 2022: A woman alleges she was sexually assaulted in the toilets of Sutton nightclub
      January 1, 2023: Cops in Barcelona are investigating an alleged sexual assault in a nightclub involving Dani Alves.
      January 5, 2023: Dani Alves’s 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 had been 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 divorce
      February 8, 2023: It emerges that Alves is said to be receiving ‘VIP treatment’ in prison
      March 17, 2023: Alves is going on 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 More

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      Xabi Alonso ordered to demolish his luxury San Sebastian villa after it is declared illegal

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      XABI ALONSO has been ordered to demolish his luxury villa in San Sebastian after it was declared illegal.Bayer Leverkusen boss Alonso, who has been linked with replacing Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, owns a villa next to the cliffs of Igeldo.
      A court has ordered Xabi Alonso to demolish his San Sebastian villaCredit: Getty
      Alonso, who has been linked with replacing Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, saw the building declared illegalCredit: Getty
      Reports in Spain detail how a Spanish court has ruled the building illegal because it does not comply with environmental guidelines.
      Alonso, 42, had been granted a license to build on the site in 2018, with the construction of the chalet being completed in 2022.
      However, environment group Haritzalde and cultural group Ieltxo – along with two neighbourhood groups – filed a complaint contesting construction on the site and asked for the chalet to be demolished.
      The legal challenge argued the building permit was illegal because it was located on undevelopable agricultural land.
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      On the other hand, it was argued the building complies with “the spirit of protection of an area of ​​high strategic value and geological interest, proposing a construction with a landscape sense that tries to adapt to the hillside condition of the plot”.
      Following the legal battle, Haritzalde announced the result had been “favourable” to them.
      The decision was made considering “it is illegal because it has nothing to do with the reconstruction of the original hamlet” and does not comply with “the obligation to maintain the rural typology”.
      The court also ruled the building of a roof on the chalet to be illegal.
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      Alonso reportedly has the right to appeal the decision.
      The property itself has 406.8 square metres of living space and no basement.
      However, San Sebastian City Council did grant permission to build a 1,145 square metre house with a basement before the ruling.
      The decision comes months after Alonso, who lives a refined lifestyle with his wife and three children, saw Spain’s Supreme Court uphold his acquittal on three counts of tax fraud. More

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      Ex-Premier League manager slapped with ban from driving for six months and fined after being caught speeding

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      AN Ex-Premier League manager has been banned from driving and fined after being caught speeding.Former Leeds boss Jesse Marsch was handed the ban and a fine of £170 at Bradford Magistrates Court on January 19.
      Jesse Marsch was slapped with the fine and ban after speedingCredit: AP
      The offence took place on June 17 of last year when his car was clocked travelling at 67mph in a temporary 50mph zone between Junction 41 and Junction 44 of the M1.
      The American was not physically present at Bradford Magistrates Court to hear the matter being dealt with.
      Marsch, 50, managed Leeds from February 2022 for 12 months before getting the sack.
      He arrived in England with an impressive coaching pedigree at New York Red Bulls, RB Leipzig and RB Salzburg.
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      The American aimed to build on predecessor Marcelo Bielsa’s fast-paced style.
      But Marsch was unable to align his philosophy with results, winning just 11 of his 37 games at the helm.
      Results never improved and with the revolting crowd turning ugly, Marsch’s departure was always going to be just a matter of time.
      The American had to battle with the ‘Ted Lasso’ stereotype during his time at the helm.
      Most read in Football
      Leeds went on to be relegated as Javi Gracia and Sam Allardyce failed to turn things around.
      And Marsch remains without a club despite being strongly tipped to take charge at Southampton last summer.
      Leicester also made an approach before settling for Enzo Maresca.
      It comes as Marsch took aim at the negative approach taken by many of the big names who analyse football matches.
      In particular, he honed in on no-nonsense Irishman Keane — famous for his withering put-downs and aggressive TV style.
      Appearing on Simon Jordan’s Up Front podcast, he said: “I think Roy can be kind of an a**hole.
      “There’s something about English culture — that kind of negative, edgy, cutting… that’s the truth. He says it like it is.
      “I will tell you — our (American) truth is we believe we can achieve great things.
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      “We believe in ourselves. If people want to knock us down, that almost drives us more.
      “When I have positive takes on certain things, that’s not me trying to be something different of trying to be American. This is how I feel.” More

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      Why is Kalvin Phillips’ dad in jail?

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      WEST HAM star Kalvin Phillips has spoken openly about how his father being in jail has impacted his life and career.The England international, who has joined the Hammers on loan after struggling to break into the Manchester City first team, opened up about his childhood in Amazon Prime’s 2023 documentary ‘Kalvin Phillips: The Road To City’.
      Kalvin Phillips has spoken openly about his dad, Mark Phillips, spending time in prisonCredit: Prime Video/NEO Studios
      Who is Kalvin Phillips’ dad?
      Kalvin has previously revealed that dad Mark has been in and out of jail throughout the footballer’s life.
      He is currently behind bars at HM Prison Wealstun in West Yorkshire.
      Kalvin was born a triplet with two sisters.
      Sadly, one of the baby girls, Lacreasha, died at just a few months old.
      Read More on Kalvin Phillips
      Why is Kalvin Phillips’ dad in jail?
      Mark has spent time in prison for offences involving violence and drugs.
      He is currently serving a 12-year sentence.
      In a 2020 interview with The Times, Kalvin said: “He’s been in and out my life since when I was young.
      “He’s been in prison, out of prison, he got into the wrong crowd, drugs, fighting, anything you can name.”
      Most read in Football
      What has Kalvin Phillips said about his dad?
      In the Prime documentary Kalvin Phillips: The Road To City, Kalvin speaks at length about how his father’s situation has affected his life.
      The sportsman explained: “My drive is probably from not having a father figure there.
      “I’ve always wanted to make my mum proud.
      “Dad was in and out of prison.
      “It affected our relationship because we didn’t see him all the time.
      “When he went away we knew he wasn’t coming back for a while, which was the worst thing.”
      He also revealed that he doesn’t like to visit his dad, preferring to speak on the phone, but would regularly drive past the prison when training with Leeds.
      The ex-Manchester City star said: “It was strange, because every time I drove past it I would think about him.
      “When I was young I didn’t want to talk about it but now it’s like, ‘Yeah, my dad’s in prison’.
      “It’s not that big a deal, he’s been in for so long.”
      Kalvin continued: “I don’t want him to think he’s got nowt when he comes out, when obviously we’ve done so well and I’ve done so well.
      “When my dad comes out I just want to try and have a better relationship with him so he doesn’t feel like he’s missed out.”
      Kalvin added that he doesn’t judge his father for the choices he’s made in life.
      He said: “Obviously he’s made some wrong decisions but I don’t judge him for them because I’ve heard about the upbringing he had, and it was tough.”
      At the end of the documentary, which was filmed over a year and released in July 2023, Kalvin reveals his dad only has two more years left on his sentence.
      He said: “He’s told me exactly what he wants to do when he gets out, which is to come and watch football, and that’s one thing I can help him do.
      “It will be nice because I’ve not had him there for such a long time.”
      Who is Kalvin Phillips’ mum?
      Kalvin’s mum is Lindsay Crosby.
      After giving birth to the triplets on December 2, 1995, she went on to have another daughter and a younger son.
      Lindsay held two jobs as she raised her children, working a cash-and-carry and a pizza takeaway.
      In Kalvin’s documentary, the star’s mum reveals how she hid the truth about Mark’s prison stints.
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      She explained: “I tried to hide a lot of things from the kids because I didn’t want them to think that this was OK.
      “I used to say he’d gone to work because I didn’t want them to think it was normal to behave like that.” More