A Barcelona court has denied a petition for Dani Alves‘ trial to be held behind closed doors, a court spokesperson confirmed to ESPN.
The former Brazil defender will go on trial in Barcelona from Feb. 5-7 for alleged sexual assault of a woman in a nightclub in 2022.
The prosecutors’ office, the accuser and Alves’ defense requested a judge for the case to be heard in private.
The court has decided that the trial will be held in public, with the exception of the alleged victim’s statement, which will be heard behind closed doors.
The media will be able to follow the trial via a remote streaming link, without broadcasting images or audio.
Alves, 40, was detained in January 2023 after being accused of raping a young woman in the bathroom of a nightclub in Barcelona on Dec. 30, 2022.
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain player has been held in custody without bail in a jail in Barcelona ever since, with his requests to be freed denied by the court because he is considered a flight risk.
While Alves has changed his version of events five times, the victim’s statement has remained the same.
Earlier this month, Alves said for the first time that he was drunk on the night he is accused of the sexual assault, according to judicial sources.
The Barcelona Prosecutors’ Office is requesting a nine-year prison sentence for Alves and for him to pay the alleged victim €150,000 in compensation.