Brazilian soccer star Dani Alves denied accusations that he sexually assaulted a young woman at a Barcelona nightclub, in testifying before a court on Wednesday.
After two days of listening to testimony from the young woman, witnesses, police and experts, Alves told the court that their encounter was consensual. The woman testified that Alves raped her in a bathroom of an upscale Barcelona nightclub early in the morning of Dec. 31, 2022.
“I am not that type of man,” Alves said in response to his defense lawyer asking if he had forced her to have sexual relations.
The woman who pressed charges told state prosecutors that she danced with Alves and willingly entered the bathroom, but that later when she wanted to leave he would not let her. She said he slapped her, insulted her and forced her to have sexual relations against her will.
Alves denied that.
“We were both enjoying ourselves,” Alves said, while repeatedly saying that the woman never asked to leave or made any indication that she did not want to have sexual relations with him. He also denied having slapped or insulted her.
The state prosecutor concluded her arguments by saying that “we understand that [the accuser’s] version is completely believable.”
