Dani Alves, in a match with the UNAM Pumas, last September. Hector Vivas (Getty Images)
The
Dani Alves case
was untenable for the Pumas.
The university club has reported this Friday that the player has ceased to belong to the team after having entered a prison accused of rape.
The Brazilian testified before the authorities for having sexually abused a woman in a nightclub in Barcelona on December 30.
"With this decision, the club reiterates its commitment not to tolerate acts, by any member of the institution, whoever they may be, that go against the university spirit and its values," said Leopoldo Silva, president of the Mexican team.
“Club Universidad Nacional is an institution that promotes respect and upright, dignified and professional behavior on and off the pitch of its players.
We cannot allow the conduct of a person to harm our work philosophy”, Silva added this Friday afternoon in the Mexican capital.
Alves traveled to Barcelona since last week when his team, the UNAM Pumas, gave him permission to attend his mother-in-law's funeral.
Since then, the club has not offered any further details until the Brazilian was arrested by the Mosssos and transferred to a police station to take a statement.
The 39-year-old side denied having non-consensual sex with the young woman.
The victim's statement, however, has been "coherent and solid", according to judicial sources.
In addition, the authorities have already analyzed the evidence, such as fingerprints and biological remains.
To understand the
Alves case
you have to rewind to the early morning of December 30.
Dani Alves, after playing the World Cup in Qatar with Brazil, spent his holidays in Barcelona, before traveling to Mexico City to play with the Pumas.
Alves went, with a group of friends, to a luxurious and exclusive nightclub in the Catalan capital, Sutton.
There the footballer tried to approach the alleged victim.
The woman herself said that she did not know Alves, who assured, ironically, that he was a petanque player, according to the complaint.
The athlete took the young woman's hand and placed it on her penis.
Minutes later, Alves invited her to the bathroom and that's where her alleged rape occurred.
The scene, which lasted 15 minutes, has been described as very violent.
The complainant alerted what happened that same night and she was treated at a hospital in Barcelona.
Two days later,
The man born in Juazeiro, Brazil, had denied knowing the complainant.
He even sent a video to the Antena 3 program
Y ahora Sonsoles
, to say that he never knew the victim.
This Friday, before the judge, he accepted that he had a partial relationship with the girl.
The magistrate determined that Dani Alves had the economic capacity to escape and that he lacked roots in Spain and faces serious prison terms, which can range from four to 12 years.
Last summer, a new transfer market rumor was around Mexican soccer.
The press close to the Pumas assured that the club would try to hire Dani Alves, who had finished his second cycle at Barcelona.
After a jaloneo between the board and the player, there was an agreement.
On July 21, he was announced as a new player.
That meant a media boom for a league in decline in spectacle and performance.
In addition, it came to some Pumas accustomed to training soccer players and having difficulties hiring high-ranking players.
The club is also the sports face of the highest university in Latin America, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
The sports institution surrendered to the Brazilian who wanted to reach the World Cup in Qatar with a good level.
In his first tournament,
Alves was one of those who attended and influenced the most, but his quality did not spread to the rest of his teammates.
The poor performance caused boos and insults against the former Barcelona player.
The Brazilian's last game in Mexico was on January 8, where he had reconciled with his people.
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