The trial of former Brazilian footballer Dani Alves, Barcelona/Reuters
The relatively light sentence received by Dani Alves in the rape case provoked angry reactions around the world - and especially in Brazil.
As you remember, the former defender of Barcelona and the Brazil national team, who was found guilty of brutal rape he committed in a nightclub in Barcelona, was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison.
The laws in Spain allow for early release on the basis of good behavior, so Alves may be released from prison as early as May 2025.
This is a much less deterrent punishment than it seemed that Alves would be given considering the brutality and cruelty he used towards the victim.
According to the indictment, Alves "threw the victim to the ground, raped her using force and left her lying on the floor crying and helpless."
First, the prosecution demanded that the maximum sentence against Alves be nine years in prison.
The victim demanded that he be made worse and that he be sentenced to 12 years in prison.
The breakthrough for the defender of the past, was a "donation" he received from Neymar and his family in the amount of 150 thousand euros, which served as a deposit.
The amount in question, under the auspices of a problematic law in Catalonia, enabled a reduction in Alves' sentence.
Also, Neymar and his father made available to Alves one of the family's oldest lawyers, an expert in criminal law, who helped the defender escape a heavy punishment as expected.
"Neymar and Dani Alves are good friends. The family did everything they could to help," reported "Globo" in Brazil.
"Collected almshouses", and received a lighter sentence.
Dani Alves/GettyImages, JORDI BORRAS
Financial and legal assistance.
Neymar next to Dani Alves/Reuters
The reports of Neymar's involvement in the trial sparked outrage not only towards Alves, but also towards him and his family.
Samia Bompim, a Brazilian politician who is known as a prominent feminist, attacked Neymar and tweeted: "The whole world will know, and Brazil will not forget: the prosecution demanded a severe punishment, and Neymar helped Alves get relief."
The British journalist and author Andrew Downey, who among other things wrote a biography of Pele, criticized harshly and wrote: "Dani Alves' punishment was sweetened after he collected handouts from Neymar. This is a first-rate scandal, and a mockery of the entire judicial system in Spain."
Some women's organizations in Brazil claimed that Neymar is actually an "accomplice in crime", and called for him to be boycotted and criticized on every possible platform.
As you remember, Dani Alves and Neymar collaborated not only in the Brazilian national team, but also in the Barcelona uniform and then also in Paris Saint-Germain.
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