Spain’s state prosecutors will request a nine-year prison sentence for Brazilian defender Dani Alves, according to EFE judicial sources.
Alves, 40, will face trial in Spain for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in a night club in December of 2022.
The prosecutors’ office will also demand €150,000 in compensation for the alleged victim.
A date for the trial has not been set.
In an order, Section 21 of the Barcelona high court recently confirmed Alves’ prosecution, concluding that the statement from the alleged victim and witnesses, as well as expert corroboration, provide sufficient evidence to try him for the crime of sexual assault.
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain player was detained in January after being accused of raping a young woman in the bathroom of a nightclub in Barcelona on Dec. 30, 2022.
Alves has since been held in custody without bail in a Barcelona prison, and his requests to be freed have been repeatedly denied by the court because he is considered a flight risk.
When the allegations first emerged, Alves denied in a television interview that he knew the woman involved.
He later said that sex with the accuser was consensual.
He was indicted by an investigative judge in August.
Alves’ contract with Liga MX club Pumas UNAM, the club he joined after leaving Barcelona in June 2022, was terminated on Jan. 20.
A case of rape in Spain can receive a maximum sentence of 15 years.
Alves is one of the most decorated players in the world.
He has won 42 titles, including three UEFA Champions League titles with Barcelona and two Copa América titles with Brazil.
He played at his third World Cup last year in Qatar.