Former Barcelona defender, Dani Alves has insisted the ‘only person’ he has to apologise to after his sexual assault allegations is his wife, despite the footballer facing up to 12 years in prison over claims he raped a woman in a nightclub toilet.
Alves, 40, has been in custody at Brians 2 in Catalonia since January 20 after a 23-year-old alleged he had assaulted her at the well-known Sutton club.
He is set to go on trial between October and November this year and has seen several requests to be released on bail rejected, meaning he will stay behind bars.
In a TV interview, Alves said he had never met his accuser but later changed his story after being held, claiming there was no assault and that there had been consent.
He has admitted to cheating on his wife, however, and maintains he is innocent.
Speaking to La Vanguardia from prison, Alves again apologised to his partner.
‘The only person I have to apologise to is my wife, Joana Sanz,’ he said.
‘The woman I married eight years ago, to whom I am still married, and with whom I hope to continue living all my life.
‘I have already apologised to her personally here in prison, but I must do it publicly, because the story is public, the offence is public and she deserves a public apology.
‘These have been, are being, and will be very hard days for her. I thank her for everything she is doing for me. Her role is not easy. I love her and during this time in prison, I have thought a lot about our marriage.
‘I am certain that I was not wrong to choose Joana as my wife. Although perhaps she did make a mistake with me.’
His wife appeared to confirm she had split from Alves in a social media post.
In a handwritten letter, she said ‘it will take years to erase from my memory his way of looking at me’ and ‘here is a strong woman moving on to the next stage of her life.’
If convicted, Alves may face a sentence ranging from six to 12 years, with the Law on the Guarantee of Sexual Freedom having been brought into effect last October.
Giving his own account of the night in which he is alleged to have assaulted his accuser, Alves said: ‘That night when the woman with whom I have the problem comes out of the bathroom behind me, I stay for a while by my table.
‘I don’t stay long because it was late. I’m with my friend Bruno and I’m approached by other people before I leave. When I leave the club through the exit corridor, I know from the pictures that I pass near where the woman is crying. I didn’t see her.
‘At that moment, if someone in charge of the club had asked me to wait because a young woman claimed that I had sexually assaulted her, I would not have gone home. That same night I would have gone to the police station to clarify.’
He then claimed he had discovered the allegations the following day.
‘Nobody said anything to me there,’ Alves added. ‘I left Sutton calmly. I got home. I took a shower because my wife was already asleep and I was ashamed of my infidelity. I lathered up in anger. I went to sleep in another bed.
‘I was returning to Mexico two days later to play and it was published in some media that a young woman was accusing Dani Alves of sexual assault.
‘I phoned my lawyer, Miraida Puentes. She consulted with the Mossos and the courts and assured me that there was no complaint and that I could travel and leave Spain with complete peace of mind. That’s why I left.’
