Ex-Barcelona star Dani Alves indicted in Spain on rape charges

Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - Brazilian football player Dani Alves will face trial in Spain over rape charges, according to a court statement shared with Spanish media on Monday.

Spanish news agency EFE said the judge has concluded there is enough evidence to indict Alves for raping a young woman at a Barcelona nightclub late last year.

The judge said the alleged victim has intense post-traumatic stress disorder from the attack.

Alves, 40, a former star on the Barcelona football team, was detained in January and has been in preventative custody ever since, as courts deem him a flight risk.

EFE reported that the judge has found “enough rational evidence” to “assume” that Alves sexually assaulted a young woman.

Alves is set to be summoned by the court on Wednesday, where he will give another statement and be communicated about his indictment. A trial date has yet to be set.

Before his arrest, Alves told Spanish media that he had never met the alleged victim. Then his story changed, and he and his legal team are now arguing that the sex was consensual.

When he was arrested, Alves played for the Mexican football team Pumas. After his arrest, the team terminated his contract.

If found guilty, Alves could face up to 12 years behind bars.

He is currently being held in the Catalan prison Brians 2, the same penitentiary where American anti-virus software inventor John McAfee committed suicide.