Dani Alves Apologises Only To His Wife Over Assault Allegations

Dani Alves, a former Barcelona defender, has stated that the ‘only person’ he needs to apologize to following s*xual assault charges is his wife, despite facing up to 12 years in prison over claims he raped a woman in a nightclub toilet.

Alves, 40, has been detained at Brians 2 in Catalonia since January 20 after a 23-year-old woman said he assaulted her at the popular Sutton club.

He is scheduled to stand trial between October and November of this year, and many pleas for bail have been denied, implying that he will remain behind bars.

In a TV appearance, Alves said he had never seen his accuser, but after being detained, he revised his narrative, claiming there had been no assault and that there had been consent.

He has admitted to cheating on his wife but maintains his innocence.

Alves apologized to his partner again when speaking to La Vanguardia from prison.

“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.

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“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.”

In a social media post, his wife appeared to confirm their divorce.

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 of six to twelve years in prison under the Law on the Guarantee of Sexual Freedom, which went into force last October.

Giving his own narrative of the night he is accused of assaulting 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.

“If I had seen her crying I would have stopped to ask what was going on.

“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 stated that he discovered the allegations the next 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.”