The woman who accused Dani Alves of sexual assault at Barcelona last month identified the Brazilian World Cup star by a tattoo on his abdomen, it has been claimed.
The alleged victim says the former Barcelona right-back slapped and raped her in the toilets of the Spanish city’s Sutton nightclub in December.
The 39-year-old footballer is in jail as he remains under investigation.
Court sources claimed that Alves’ crescent-shaped tattoo on his abdomen was visible during the alleged attack.
The woman who accused Dani Alves of sexual assault at Barcelona last month identified the Brazilian World Cup star by a tattoo on his abdomen, it has been claimed.
The woman says she noticed the tattoo when he tried to force her to perform oral sex on him and she resisted in the locked bathroom of the VIP club.
The international footballer had testified that it was he who was sitting on the toilet when the woman threw herself on him.
The judge asked how it was possible for the woman to see his tattoo if his shirt covered his torso.
The Champions League-winning star then allegedly changed his testimony to say he stood up when she entered, allowing her to see the tattoo, according to El Mundo.
He said the pair then had consensual sex, although he initially denied knowledge of the alleged victim and claimed the pair only passed each other in the bathroom without meeting.
The alleged victim said the former Barcelona right-back slapped and raped her in the toilets of the Spanish city’s Sutton nightclub in December (pictured playing in Qatar)
The woman says she noticed the tattoo when he tried to force her to perform oral sex on him and she resisted in the locked bathroom of the VIP club (pictured)
Due to the apparent inconsistency of his testimony, Alves’ family want him to change lawyers and testify again, Spanish media have claimed.
Yesterday Alves moved from Brians 1 prison to the smaller Brian 2 prison where inmates are convicted of sex crimes.
The new detention center has “smaller residential modules” where it is easier to guarantee the safety and coexistence of detainees.
Authorities said the type of crime Alves is accused of was not considered in the decision to transfer him.
Alves spent three nights at another facility that houses around 200 inmates.
The new one houses around 80 detainees, including convicted prisoners and others awaiting trial.
Alves should be sharing a cell with another inmate for now.
Defense lawyers are set to file an appeal against the detention, arguing that he should be given more freedom but without a passport.
But there are fears that if he returns to Brazil, where there is no extradition treaty with Spain, he will remain beyond the reach of the law.
Dana Dinorah, ex-wife of Alves, said: “I’m still in shock. Looks like it’s a nightmare and it’s not happening.
Former wife and agent Dinorah here pictured at a press conference in Barcelona in 2015
Insisting that she believed the father of their two children was innocent, the Brazil-based businesswoman said in an interview with a Spanish TV show: ‘Dani would never do that.
“I say this because I have known him for 22 years and been married to him for ten years.
“It was a shock for me and for my children.
“I have two teenagers who are in pain.”
Speaking to the Fiesta show on Spanish station Telecinco, Dana added: “Dani has asked his lawyer to call me so I can take care of his most pressing matters.”
“I found out he was in jail because of that phone call he asked his lawyer to make to me.
“I didn’t have access to Dani and I couldn’t speak to him on the phone. His lawyer says he’s sad but he’s fine. She is the only one who could see it.
“I’m here for whatever I can do to help her.”
Brians 1 prison near Barcelona where former Barcelona footballer Dani Alves is being held
Dani Alves (L) in 2021 with his wife Joana Sanz (R), who recently opened up about her husband’s arrest
Dana spoke after the footballer’s current wife, Spanish model Joana Sanz, said she had lost the “two pillars of my life” following her husband’s imprisonment and the death of her mother.
The former Barcelona defender, sacked by Mexican club UNAM Pumas after it emerged he had been remanded in custody by a judge over sexual assault allegations, was arrested after flying to the Spain last week following the death of his mother-in-law.
Spanish media reported that the footballer asked his defense lawyer for permission to be questioned again under oath by the judge who sent him to jail pending an ongoing investigation so that he can clarify the reported inconsistencies in the statements he made inside and outside the court about the allegations before and after his arrest.
He told a TV show before his arrest that he had never met his accuser although he admitted to being at the nightclub where the alleged incident took place.
Spanish media reports over the weekend, on which police and court officials have not commented, claimed he told the judge he had had ‘consensual sex’ with the woman after being told by witnesses and that CCTV footage contradicted his television claims that he had not met his alleged victim. .
Former Barcelona right-back Dani Alves (R), 39, pictured with his wife Joana Sanz (L), 29
Dani Alves has joined Mexican league team UNAM Pumas after a year at Barcelona
Joana Sanz, born in Tenerife, had already shown her support for her man before his arrest and imprisonment, claiming on social media that her husband had never disrespected her and claiming that she had seen women ‘trying’ with Alves in front of her.
Hours before she was taken into custody, she posted a photo of them holding hands with the message “Together” in English.
On Friday night Joana, who married Alves in Formentera off Ibiza in 2017, wrote: “I ask the media outside my house to please respect my privacy at this time.”
‘My mum passed away a week ago and I’m just beginning to understand that she’s no longer with me so I’m tormented by my husband’s situation.
“I lost the only two pillars of my life.”
Alves was let go from his contract at UNAM Pumas after returning from a spell at Barcelona
Investigations of the type currently carried out by the investigating judge can take months, even years in some cases, although when the suspects are detained, they speed up their investigations as much as possible.
Those under official investigation can be held without charge for up to four years in Spain, although the normal limit is two years.
In Spain, formal charges are only brought when an investigating judge deems there is enough evidence for a trial to take place and then invites prosecutors to file an indictment.
The public prosecutor in the case and a lawyer acting for Alves’ accuser requested the footballer’s pre-trial detention during the closed-door hearing on Friday following his arrest at an undisclosed location in Barcelona.
Alves has won 42 football titles, including three Champions Leagues with Barcelona and two Copa Americas with Brazil.
He played in his third World Cup, the only major title to elude him, last month.
