Brazilian defender Dani Alves, who is currently facing trial in Spain for an alleged rape, recently defended his innocence in an interview published Wednesday, asserting that he carries a “clear conscience.”
The incident in question occurred in late December when the 40-year-old was detained in Barcelona on accusations of raping a young woman in a nightclub’s bathroom. Due to concerns that Alves may attempt to flee, the court has kept him in custody without bail.
Interestingly, Alves has reversed his earlier stance of claiming no knowledge of the woman involved and has now admitted to having engaged in sexual activity with her. He explained that his initial denial was motivated by a desire to protect his marriage, fearing that admitting his actions would lead his wife to leave him.
“I firmly believe that my conscience is clear regarding what transpired that night in the bathroom of the VIP area of the Sutton nightclub,” Alves asserted in his first interview since the arrest, which was published in La Vanguardia.
He further stated, “What did happen and what did not happen. What did not happen is that I forced this woman into any actions that we engaged in.”
When the news first broke, prior to his arrest, Alves denied any connection to the woman in a television interview. However, in the recent article, he admitted to initially lying, driven by the fear of losing his wife if he confessed to being involved with another woman.
Unfortunately for Alves, the damage has already been done, as his wife has already filed for divorce and publicly criticized the footballer for refusing to sign the divorce papers. The stakes are undeniably high for Alves, as a guilty verdict could result in him losing everything he has worked diligently to achieve.
