Footballer Dani Alves faces 9 years in prison for sexual assault

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - Spanish prosecutors are seeking a nine-year jail term for Dani Alves, the Brazilian football player accused of raping a young woman in a nightclub.

In a briefing released on Thursday, prosecutors also argued that Alves should pay €150,000 ($163,000) to his alleged victim for “physical and psychological” harm and “moral damages.”

Alves, who used to play for Barcelona, has been in preventative detention since January. His requests to be released on bail have been repeatedly denied by the court, which claims he is a flight risk.

The 40-year-old is accused of having violently raped a 23-year-old woman in the VIP section at the Sutton nightclub in Barcelona late last year.

After the alleged rape took place, the woman was treated at a hospital in Barcelona. On Jan. 2, she formally pressed charges.

A date for the trial has not been set, but El Pais reported it is expected to begin early next year.