Barcelona reacts to Dani Alves' R*pe conviction

Barcelona Football Club have stripped Dani Alves of his legendary status after he was found guilty of the rape allegations that were levelled against him.

The Brazilian was sentenced to four years and six months in prison for the rape of a 23-year-old woman in a Barcelona nightclub in December 2022. The 40-year-old was also ordered to pay €9,000 (£7,700) for physical damage to the victim. Alves was sentenced to four years and six months of imprisonment and could soon be released on licence, having already served 12 months on remand.

However, the player's lawyer, Inés Guardiola, confirmed that they will appeal the verdict, as the player has continued to claim his innocence.

On the other hand, Barcelona responded swiftly to Alves' situation by removing him from their official list of club legends. A total of 102 players are included on the list, the popular names on the list are, the club founder Joan Gamper, and the club's highest goal scorer, Lionel Messi. Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique were the most recent players to be inducted.

He had 408 appearances for Barcelona across two spells with the Spanish giant and won six league titles and three Champions League crowns among other trophies. He also played for Sevilla, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain, while winning 126 caps for the Brazilian national team.